NATURALLY OCCURRING

While sitting today in the Zen Garden near the water feature, something came into better focus for me in regards to what I enjoy most about this garden. I often find myself in disbelief of the beauty that has emerge here over the past 14 years since I began developing this space. The over all feel of a walk through it all, taking it all in as a whole visual experience is quite stunning. And yes, my artistic touch of combining plants and color and texture is a part of that. But while sitting out here today and noticing that these little mushrooms had once again chosen to grace the place, taking their place amongst the moss growing on this rock near the pond, it became crystal clear that what I enjoy the most out here is the beauty that occurs naturally. A quick look through the garden photo albums makes that obvious.

I do have some wider perspective photos of the garden. But most of what catches my eye, that I always feel drawn to capture, are the close ups of individual parts of the beautiful plants growing here. Whether it's a flower or a leaf or moss growing on a rock or a mysterious looking grouping of mushrooms or the veining that runs through a leaf or flower or maybe even the ever changing shadows created as the sun moves across the space, it is these things that draw me in closer. And it is these things that I have had nothing to do with creating. These are the gracious ever present signs of the abiding presence of a wasteful (at least from a human perspective) natured Creator who has given us more than can ever be completely discovered no matter how long and hard we might try. And while sitting there thinking on these things it was impossible to not also be a bit sad. I get the sense that most humans sleep themselves through all of this life completely missing most of it.

My prayer is that you/we don't miss it. One must slow down and place themselves in a mindfully present space to notice.