There's always something

On occasion, the entries into my daily journal are very short. As I sit in the early morning and try to recall something of significance from the previous day, I come up empty. And if I struggle long enough, it seems the effort just pushes anything memorable further away.

The problem is much like this picture. Taken early in the morning from my backyard, I was sure that the vivid pink and the light blue sky would paint a beautiful photograph that would capture my memory and details of the scene.

But later, when I took a second look, I was sorely disappointed. The colors weren’t as I remembered them. And after blinking several times, I realized that nothing in the frame was in focus.

I started to delete the image immediately. Who needs a blurry and dreary picture?

Then it occurred to me that the beauty I saw that morning had not been erased. It was only skewed by my failure to concentrate on what was good and true and new. The memory remains vivid and real — just poorly represented.

I won’t enter this photo in any contest. But I will remember it as a lesson. When I fail to see something significant in a scene before me, it’s not because it isn’t there. It’s because I fail to capture its beauty for my day.

Remember, there is always something. Take some time and let yourself discover it.