A Slow Spring, Moving Quickly
Magnolia blossoms on the tree. Picture from my sister, more than a month before I had a few blossoms on my own tree.
The ground is carpeted in magnolia blossoms. Again, these are from my sister and sent to me more than a month before my own tree blossomed.
Perspective and Point of Vow were always two of my biggest challenges in art class. Somehow translating what I saw before me to the page, from the physical, three dimensions to the stylized two dimensions, was almost impossible. Classmates could do it well, but my drawings always were out of proportion. I could do 3-D boxes, which somewhat translated to houses, but a landscape or a creature? I will just say there was a time I tried to draw my sister's cat, and I made the poor creature look like a weasel plastered to a wall. Perspective is hard.
Perspective is also challenging when it comes to interactions with others. My experience of a situation will not be the same as yours. When worship was in the sanctuary, you all had the beautiful view of the Gethsemane window and the chancel area, whereas I looked towards the glass doors and the organ pipes. Now, my perception of corporate worship is the camera light I look at, the preview video where I can see what you all see, and the live chat. I can review the worship afterward and see from your perspective (confession: so far I have not because I don't like watching myself!), but even if I do that, I will still not have your experience from your point of view. We all bring pieces of ourselves to every encounter, even virtual ones.
This spring, one experience that has been an ongoing revelation is watching spring come to my home. One month ago, my sister shared pictures of the past-peak bloom magnolia trees one her walk. She lives around D.C., and by the end of March, the ground was carpeted in magnolia flowers. I have a magnolia tree by my house, too, but a month ago, it did not even have buds. It was more than three weeks before I had buds on my tree ready to spring to flower. My few magnolia flowers are in the slideshow above.
In my perspective, spring is arriving slowly as I try to compare this spring to past years. Yet, I also feel as if time is moving quickly. Somehow it is already the last day of April, and 2020 is 33.3% completed. We are one-third of the way through this year. So much has happened, yet so much has yet to start, and so much will not be done. At times the shear magnitude of it all feels overwhelming. But then I remember art class, and how terrible I was at perspective when I was concentrating on it, yet how natural I was able to sketch when I wasn't focusing on getting it right. When I relaxed and let go of my own perceptions, I was able to draw just fine.
Our perspective is suspect, but God's Point of View is omniscient. Relax your focus and let God direct your hand.
I love you all
Stay Safe and Healthy
Wash Your Hands
Peace be with you
~Rev. Andrea Joy Holroyd
