“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths,” – Psalm 24:1-2.
Monday afternoon I was sitting in the grocery store parking lot, trying to dry out from my mad dash to the car through the rain, when I noticed how cool the world looks from the vantage point of peering through a wet windshield.
So I grabbed an image on my iPhone. “That’s what I call really ‘saturated’ color,” I thought, or at least, “a real watercolor!” It reminded me of the wonderful birthday presents I received from our two school-aged grandchildren in Miami. With the children, it’s all about color—the more saturated the better.
Beks (7) painted a beach scene soaked in blues, yellows and golds. David (9) produced a bold landscape. “At the beach, you can see the curve of the earth on the horizon,” Beks said, proud of her understanding.
Looking at the world through the wet front window of my car reinforced the truth that perspective is everything. Not just ‘what’ we see, but ‘how’ we see. I looked up the definition of ‘art’: “Creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form, producing works appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.”
I especially appreciate the idea of “emotional power.” Here in my library, the raw emotional impact of my grandchildren’s art reminds me of several things:
⦁ My grandchildren love me enough to put time, effort and creative imagination into their gifts.
⦁ Children see the world in vibrant color.
⦁ Children experience each moment with eyes wide open.
⦁ Children see more color because in their world there is more color.
⦁ We must teach them not just to see but to look.
⦁ We have no time to waste on anything other than everything.
⦁ When you expect to see and experience wonder, then that is what tends to happen.
Enjoy today’s splash of color. Peace and love – DEREK
