This maple tree in Maine had every fall color and would have made a beautiful picture — except that it had power lines running right through it. At first I was disappointed, and then I realized what a wonderful snapshot of life it makes.

Life — at least my life — is often like this tree: a season of color interrupted by necessities and needs. Life is full of beauty — like these green, yellow, red, and orange leaves — that gets caught in crossfire between the brokenness of this world and the tyranny of the urgent. These power lines ruin the view, but they provide electricity through which I charged the camera battery as well as the computer I am using to type this right now.

And I reminded that the pole on the left of this picture was once a tree but now has another purpose.

What a great reminder this autumn has been for me. Ordinary everyday life is beautiful once we get past the power lines (pun intended) that obscure the view. Read More...