Constantly and visibly
These beautiful lilies are part of a reading garden at the public library.
Poquoson, Virginia, June 2014
“Life, now, was unfolding before me, constantly and visibly, like the flowers of summer that drop fanlike petals on eternal soil.” — Roman Payne
I don’t know whether it’s because I’m less than three years from 60, or because of the many life-and-death issues my family has faced in the past 18 months, but I feel as if my awareness of life’s paradoxically vast brevity is more focused. I’m astounded by how much goes on, and how quickly it all goes! It amazes me that so much life can be packed into such short lifespans for each of us, no matter how long we live.
People in my age group are in an enviable position today. Many of us have enjoyed the privilege of close relationships with people two generations older than us, and now two generations younger than us, plus all those ages and stages that lie in between. It’s an excellent vantage point from which to take in the panorama of life.
When I walk outside in the spring and summer, I am enchanted by the flowers. My appreciation of their beauty is sharpened by knowing that even the hardiest of them won’t be there very long. That’s how I feel about life right now. Incredibly beautiful, so full and so brief.
One year ago today:
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
Defeat Despair 