I have been privileged to witness brief, fleeting moments of beauty this week.
Moments that I would have missed if I hadn’t happened to be where I was at that moment.
It made me contemplate brevity, beauty, and beholding.
Beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder.
The beholder must behold, as in to observe, receive, witness.
But also perhaps to be
and to hold
in our presence,
perhaps in our arms,
a fleeting glimpse of life
or of truth.
In my mind and in my life,
they are both as relevant.
The beauty I beheld this week was from a combination of nature’s light and dark.
It’s stunning how Mother Nature balances her two sides with so little effort and so much grace.
On a brief walk on a cloudy day this week, I turned to look behind me and witnessed the sun piercing the souls of bronze-colored leaves swaying in the wind
When I turned back to catch another glimpse a few feet later,
the light had passed,
the wind had stopped.
The tree sat silent and dark
as if it had never moved at all.
The same with the double rainbow that left me speechless.
Here one moment, gone the next.
So it is with life.
When the wind blows through us,
when the sun pierces our souls
let’s brave the light,
let’s brave the elements
Let’s lift our gaze
Let’s open our eyes
and behold the wonder of life before us
and in us
Let’s allow for our light and our darkness
Let’s allow for the unparalleled human experience they will deliver us to when we stop fighting one, chasing the other,
and instead pause and witness their power, their brevity, their beauty, their contrast
Here, in the pause, is your answer
Here, in the pause, is your meaning
Here, in the pause, is your life.
monique minahan 