Amazing Shades of Green

 

Tuesday, April 10, 2012 – Amazing Shades of Green

I went out to pick up the paper this morning a little later than usual.  It was close to eight o’clock and the sun was already streaming through the woods.  The light wasn’t so much striking the leaves on the trees as it was illuminating them from within.  The Impressionists had the right idea about capturing the light.  Think of Monet and his paintings of haystacks or the Rouen Cathedral.  Instead of picking up the newspaper from the driveway, I just stood there for several minutes, transfixed and amazed as I gazed out at the incredible range of greens painted by an unknown hand.  I dismissed thoughts of rushing inside for my camera; a photo would never do it justice.  It seemed truly miraculous to be there in that moment, to experience the wonder of the world.  An ordinary morning turned extraordinary. 

After I finally remembered to pick up the newspaper, I thought back to a passage I’d read last night in preparation for my spirituality group at the temple.  It comes from A Wild Faith by Mike Comins, in which he quotes and elaborates on the words of the 20^th century Jewish thinker and writer, Abraham Joshua Heschel.  To paraphrase, nature fills us with wonder, or “radical amazement.”  In today’s information-focused world, we often miss the opportunity to experience wonder.  But we can train ourselves, through spiritual practice, to develop the attitude of radical amazement.  Wonder leads us to awe, which in turn, leads us to the divine.  I’m afraid I haven’t done a very good job of explaining this.  Heschel’s own words are much more poetic.