Saguaro Wanderings: Seeing 2011 (#71)

For your consideration: water species submissions.

The first is an admittedly acute pandering to the sacred holiday nearly upon us — Mother's Day. Ah, but with a lens of adequate length, a dash of slow, semi-stealthy reconnaissance and a golden surplus of late afternoon lighting . . . well, it was all too easy to at least visualize the potential of those precious, fuzzy little tribbles of down. Get a reasonable exposure, be certain of the focus, and voilà a photograph done innumerable times before yet sure to please.

Of course, but even this aspirant to High Art experienced the healing, heart warming glow of deep pleasure when observing — and vicariously sharing in — the unmistakable grace of a mother's love and protection of her offspring, an aura of safety clearly felt by, enveloping and drawing in her young.

Upon reflection, while processing this scene earlier today, I recalled what was a profound moment when I attended a talk last year by the Dali Llama: he stated, unequivocally, that the single most important determinate in a human's development and life is the quality and nature of the mother's love received. Therein lies the key to world peace. A cynic would surely retort "naive and simplistic." When taking in this beauty and demonstration through my camera's viewfinder, my soul knew otherwise: Tenzin Gyatso spoke the Truth.

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The second image offered is a return to a the milieu I relish, that being abstractions discovered in the otherwise ordinary scenery surrounding us. The deeper implication is, of course, related to both the nature of impermanence as well the subtle beauty and often deeper complexities discernible in the Present, nuances and delightful surprises so fleeting they usually escape notice.

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