I thank God everyday that Jeanne agreed to marry me. Trying to understand why she did would take a long book - but thank God she did. She knew going into this that she would need to be the teacher and gently persuade me to be the student. There have been many text books, most of which are quite long. One of the longest (it's taken about 30 years) is entitled, "How To Have Eyes That See."
I remember when we were first married and she painted a lot with water colors, I would go with her to watch her sketch and paint. We would go to old barns and fields where she would see something beautiful and translate her vision of it onto paper. Without fail, I would question her use of color. We'd be looking at the same thing, say, the same dingy, old barn, and she'd see vibrant, energetic colors while I'd see shades of gray. At first she actively tried to help me see all the colors that were there, but recognized this would be a difficult course for me and slowed down. She transitioned to telling me it was perfectly within her artistic license to utilize those colors in her own painting. Gradually, with her help, I began to see colors. It surprised me one evening several years ago when I blurted, while driving across a mostly barren, Pennsylvania winter countryside, "Wow, look at the colors!" She had never stopped teaching and the lessons were apparently beginning to sink in.
I'm so deeply grateful she never gave up on teaching me that lesson. Beauty, the wonderous beauty of God's creations, should never go unnoticed, because without noticing it one can't be properly grateful for it. Spectacular beauty is everywhere around us at all times, given to us by God to fill us with joy and awe, lighten our burdens, bring a smile to our faces and even tears to our eyes. I'm beginning to see, thanks to years of lessons from Jeanne. The above pictures were taken in Elizabethtown, PA at approximately 3pm on January 6, 2008. It was about 40 degrees and had been much colder since the beginning of December, sometimes very cold. But as I was taking pictures of the cold, low winter sun reflecting off the ice covering the college lake, I turned to see vibrant, spectacular color everywhere around me in the bark of the trees. It was like sweet candy, eye candy in the dead of winter and it reminded me of how Jeanne used to put colors on paper that she could see but I couldn't. Thanks for the lessons Jeanne. I love you.
I thank God everyday that Jeanne agreed to marry me. Trying to understand why she did would take a long book - but thank God she did. She knew going into this that she would need to be the teacher and gently persuade me to be the student. There have been many text books, most of which are quite long. One of the longest (it's taken about 30 years) is entitled, "How To Have Eyes That See."
I remember when we were first married and she painted a lot with water colors, I would go with her to watch her sketch and paint. We would go to old barns and fields where she would see something beautiful and translate her vision of it onto paper. Without fail, I would question her use of color. We'd be looking at the same thing, say, the same dingy, old barn, and she'd see vibrant, energetic colors while I'd see shades of gray. At first she actively tried to help me see all the colors that were there, but recognized this would be a difficult course for me and slowed down. She transitioned to telling me it was perfectly within her artistic license to utilize those colors in her own painting. Gradually, with her help, I began to see colors. It surprised me one evening several years ago when I blurted, while driving across a mostly barren, Pennsylvania winter countryside, "Wow, look at the colors!" She had never stopped teaching and the lessons were apparently beginning to sink in.
I'm so deeply grateful she never gave up on teaching me that lesson. Beauty, the wonderous beauty of God's creations, should never go unnoticed, because without noticing it one can't be properly grateful for it. Spectacular beauty is everywhere around us at all times, given to us by God to fill us with joy and awe, lighten our burdens, bring a smile to our faces and even tears to our eyes. I'm beginning to see, thanks to years of lessons from Jeanne. The above pictures were taken in Elizabethtown, PA at approximately 3pm on January 6, 2008. It was about 40 degrees and had been much colder since the beginning of December, sometimes very cold. But as I was taking pictures of the cold, low winter sun reflecting off the ice covering the college lake, I turned to see vibrant, spectacular color everywhere around me in the bark of the trees. It was like sweet candy, eye candy in the dead of winter and it reminded me of how Jeanne used to put colors on paper that she could see but I couldn't. Thanks for the lessons Jeanne. I love you.
1 comment:
Rodger,
I was searching the web and came apon this beautiful website you have created. I am enjoying watching the creativity of your photography bloom. The passion in your writing goes without saying. Well done!
Dena:)
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