Ephemeral Beauty

Sixteen years.

I can hardly believe it's been sixteen years since I donned that white dress and walked down the aisle.

To celebrate the occasion, my hubba hubba honey took the day off work. We slept in, hung out, and held hands. It was Yummy.

At 10am, The Dr. Phil show did a special on weddings, in which his son Jay gave his bride some beautiful diamond earrings. (Yea, I know it’s corny to mention The Dr. Phil Show, but that’s the way synchronicity works. It all ties in, even corny talk shows.)

Right after the show, my darling hubby took me to the ooh-la-la Jared Galleria of Jewelry, where he bought me a pair of beautiful gold earrings with sixteen sparkling diamonds, to represent our sixteen years of marriage.

(All together now..."aaaawwww.")

I tried to take a photo of myself wearing them, but after half a dozen botched and blurry shots of various pores, pimples and nose hairs, I put my treasures in the box, and created an artistic photo still life on my kitchen counter with a blue dishrag and sink lighting.

Marriage is like that I guess. A holy union of diamonds and dishrags; a grand waltz of the precious and the plain, the magnificent and the mundane, all balanced in artistic harmony.

I love the symbolism of my ear rings. Not only do the diamonds represent the years, but the hoop is the symbol of marriage, of eternity, of the never-ending cycle of life.

After leaving the jewelry store, we had lunch in a romantic little European cafe. I was on cloud nine. On the way home, I couldn't help but notice how bright and beautiful the sky was. It was one of those crisp fall days filled with sunshine and an endless sea of puffy clouds floating along like a regatta in the sky. It was a day when the quality of light makes everything seem surreal. If you have ever been to New Mexico , where the quality of light is like that every day, you will know what I mean.


I was giddy silly, and began to babble about how amazing clouds really are.

"What if we came from a planet that did not have clouds, and saw a day like this? It's a miracle really. They defy the laws of gravity and literally float in the sky. Look at them. They are SO beautiful!"

To which my husband just smiled and said “Yes Dear” as a little joke.

He was digging it though, as much as I was, if not more. We were happy and in love, and both keenly aware of how lucky we are, and how special it is to have a day to spend together, with no plans or agendas or kids. It was a day for lovers, and the sky was our gift from above.

When we got home, I opened my e-mail and found a link to this website about clouds.
(Have I told you people that every day of my life is like this...filled with coincidence and synchronicity? Maybe I have, but I'm saying it again, with pure awe and wonder.)

Later that evening, after enjoying the, (ahem) "clouds", a big storm rolled in. Hubby and I love to watch the storms. They are so romantic and powerful. Marriage is like that too; Warm summer days, mixed with cold spells and giant cloud bursts of rain and hail. It’s that balance of yin and yang again; the balance that keeps everything fresh and new, full of electricity, and softened by sunshine.

When the storm passed, I went out the front door to gaze at the sky. Greg came around from the back, and we bumped into each other at the side of the house. He put his arm around me, as we looked at the magnificent canvas before us. To the east, the sky was dark and ominous. To the west, it was filled with red, orange and purple, with long streaks of sunlight piercing the puff balls above like streams of glory.

"See that line?” He pointed. “That's where the high pressure system meets the low. That's where rainbows are formed. If we keep our eyes open, we might see one."

It's true, I thought. That is where the rainbows appear. It's just a matter of seeing the beauty and purpose of both sides, of understanding the necessity of diversity, and respect for the ominous power of both the sun and the rain.

We think we want our lives to be filled with sunny days, but in reality, without the rain, the sun would wither and wilt all life into a dusty desert of parched nothingness. No, what we really want is to stand in the center, under the rainbow where we can see and feel it all.

The Cloud Appreciation Society says:

"Clouds are expressions of the atmosphere’s moods...and so commonplace that their beauty is often overlooked. They are for dreamers and their contemplation benefits the soul. Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and live life with your head in the clouds!"

I do.


P.S.
For those writers out there who find inspiration in sunshine, rainbows and clouds, check out The Taos New Mexico Writers conference:
http://www.unm.edu/~taosconf/index.htm

The 2007 Taos Summer Writers' Conference will be held July 7-13 registration will open December 1
Taos Summer Writers' Conference has a number of scholarships to provide support for talented writers. The application process for all awards begins in December