I have a friend, Carolyn Hurt, whose blog featured a great explanation about silver linings. I have been trying to highlight silver linings since cancer came to block out the sun. Cancer is a dark and looming cloud, and I wouldn't wish it on anybody. It seriously stinks a lot.
One of the great lines from Steel Magnolias is, "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion."
With Carolyn's permission, here is her post:
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining.
If you had asked me several years ago what the perfect weather looks
like, I would have quickly imagined a weather chart with sunny, clear
skies, and mild temperatures, between about 65 and 75.
A perfect day, right?
In fact, I grew up mostly in the western part of the United States,
where "the skies are not cloudy all day." When we moved to a more cloudy
place, it was almost depressing. I stopped listening to the weather,
because EVERY single day was "partly/mostly cloudy with a __% chance of
rain." Really. In five years of living there, I can probably count on
one hand the number of days that the weather looked like my picture up
there.
But then I had an interesting realization of sorts.
As a disclaimer, I would never presume to call myself a photographer.
Because I am a mom, however, I often end up as the designated family
memory-catcher, so with that in mind, I do occasionally study the
photographs and blogs of people who are much more talented than I,
trying to figure out what they do to capture the beauty of the things
around them.
One day I was reading some comments on a photography blog, and one guy
was talking about how he had woken up early for about 3 days in a row
(in the winter!) to try to set up a great sunrise picture over the
ocean. The weather wasn't cooperating with him, he said. At this point, I
was expecting him to say that it was freezing and overcast, making it
difficult to take the picture. Instead, he posted three pictures like
the one above -- sunny and clear -- three days in a row of sunny and
clear.
I was confused. I stared at the post, wondering if he was being
sarcastic, or trying to make a joke. Did I miss something here? Maybe it
is because in the winter, the clear weather is colder? Maybe his
fingers were cold?
But clear and sunny is perfect, and really, doesn't everyone want good weather?
And then my mind started reviewing sunrise/sunset pictures I had seen. I
even thought about ones I had personally taken -- like this:
or this:
And I remembered a family vacation, driving across the country, and how I
had delighted at the sight of big puffy clouds like these:
or even these storm clouds:
As I reflected on those times, I remembered exclaiming, "Look at those
clouds! They're so beautiful!" And suddenly, I realized that this random
guy commenting on the blog had already applied what I would have known
if I had actually thought about it.
Cloudy skies are much more interesting than clear ones. He
was hoping for clouds in his picture, because those clouds reflect the
light and provide the entire picture with depth, shadow, color, and
majesty.
Why had I not realized that before? In a sunrise/sunset picture, every
cloud becomes a reflection point for the beauty of the sun. It is
because of the clouds that the entire sky can be filled with
light and create the stunning masterpiece we hope to see. Plus, with
clouds in the picture, every photo of that location is unique and
beautiful in its own way. He wanted the clouds there, because they are what makes the sunrise picture more than just a picture of the sun coming up.
Then I thought about it with respect to the lives we lead. So often we
think we want our life to be a sunny day, with clear skies, maybe a few
puffy clouds here and there, but mostly clear and mild. However, when I
think back to the times I have felt closest to God, I must admit that it
has been the challenging 'cloudy' days -- when every ray of light that
somehow escapes through those clouds reflects off of them and sends a
clear message of hope and wonder. It has been the gray days -- when the
storms may pound, but when I feel His love through the 'rainbow' of
people placed in my path. I thought about how those bad days have helped
me appreciate the good ones even more. And I realized what a blessing
those clouds are in my life.
The clouds make life interesting. They make it beautiful. They allow us to see the majesty of The Son.
(Disclaimer: If you happen to be a real photographer, please feel
free to correct any photography principles I have invented here...)
*****
Thanks Carolyn. That's just what I wanted to say.
