We are called to take moments of beauty, make a perfume out of them, and then anoint the mundane events of daily life.

Oftentimes our daily lives - filled as they are with challenging events, people whose vision may conflict with ours, and the seeming drabness of a repetitive round of chores - may seem devoid of beauty. However, if we take our sporadic experiences of beauty, even if they occur only once a day, and blend these memories into a kind of distilled "essence of beauty," we then will have available to us a sort of perfume - like a bottle filled with concentrated pine scent - that we can apply to all of the various mundane events of the day. Indeed, that is a major part of our calling as human beings. Some people find that concentrated essence of beauty in a religious presence - like Jesus, the Buddha, a Hindu goddess, or a temple. Others find it in Nature's beauty. And still others - like myself - are called to do both.

Photo: Ponderosa Pines, a rock outcrop, and the snowy landscape at dusk; Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; November 22, 2013

If you'd like to make a donation to help fund Nature Photo-Quotes, please go here.  Thanks!