Not another stinkin’ heavenly ray picture!

This photo came after a drizzly morning on spring break.  Light passed through a hole in the clouds and lit up the hazy mist that remained.  I took as many photos as my tiny camera card could hold.  My mom and I went out together, racing each other to get the best vantage point.  Later, we sat looking at the photos on my laptop.  We oohed and aahed at them.  After about ten of them, my mom jokingly said, “Oh, c’mon, more heavenly ray photos?  Jeez, why’d you take so many?”  Which is highly ironic, since she probably had taken about twice that.  But while my mom was joking, there are so many people in our society who are not, who oblivously miss the blatant, astounding beauty around them.  And there’s also a sarcasm prevalent among the arts that’s appeared with the advent of digital photography and Photoshop art.  There are so many photos today that have been digitally manipulated to the point that, while they are beautiful, they look nothing like the scene that they originally depicted.  People, especially artists,  look at a straight-out-of-the-camera photo of a glorious sunset or a foggy forest, assume that it’s been Photoshopped to make it beautiful, and for that reason, blow it off.  Hence, our “just another heavenly ray” culture. 

And yes, compared to their creations, my photo might look plain.  But I’d like to think that even among seasoned photographers and professional artists, there is an appreciation for moments that are simply beautiful, that even if they don’t make a photo show, manage to make someone pause and remember that they have been blessed with another day on this earth, another beautiful sight, and yes, another heavenly ray.