Wildflowers are waking up, dotting the caliche roadside. Mostly yellow for now, although Tom said he spotted some small blue ones. (He cheats - he has bifocals and can wear his glasses all the time.)
So yesterday morning I switched camera lenses and turned my attention from the treetops, where I'd been searching for birds, hoping for at least one sharp, close-up portrait, to the ground, searching instead for those splashes of color. Flowers are model subjects, remaining perfectly posed, unless the wind feels mischievous, unlike those birds who taunt me with their song, but refuse to show themselves, or fly at the first lift of my lens in their direction.
To my surprise, I found quite a few baby blooms of different types yawning and stretching out their petals that I swear weren't there just a few days ago. It's as if an alarm clock rang, and they all arose at once.
And that's why I chose this one for my Friday Favorite... a drop of light against the lingering grays and browns of winter.
I'm dedicating it to the people of Japan, who are suffering the effects of this morning's earthquake and tsunami and mourning loved ones, as a reminder of the light that can conquer darkness, that can survive the cold clutches of winter. I pray for the souls of the deceased and for peace in the hearts of the survivors. I pray they find light in this darkness.
"When tough things happen, God is not an accomplice; He’s a companion."
~ Gregory Boyle
