Tuesday, December 29, 2009

the sun

that i exist is a perpetual surprise,
which is life.
rabindranath tagore

~
light.

at this time of year
sunlight
is a gift.
i look for it
tucked away in the flare
of a sunset.
in the tangerine wash
of a glowing snowdrift.

~

the sun gives without condition
its gift is received and used
in every way imaginable . . .
imagine what can be learned from such benevolence!

a stone which has become a ruby is filled with the qualities of the sun.
no stoniness remains in it.
if it loves itself, it is loving the sun.
and if it loves the sun, it is loving itself.
there is no difference between these two loves.

22 comments:

Dan Gurney said...

The photo--is it snow on the ground?--looks like the tops of clouds seen from far above, from Santa's empty sleigh, at dawn, on Christmas morning.

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Steven and Rumi and sunlight and love......a beautiful way to start the day.

Jenny Stevning said...

...just what this grump needed... Thank you! :) Kinda speechless.

Golden West said...

In your photograph, I especially like how the light is forming a path, leading into the unseen.

steven said...

hi dan - that's the sun in my back garden at around three in the afternoon. the sunlight is following one of santa's sleds runner tracks!!! i flipped my laptop to look at it upside-down and it looks like clouds! very cool dan!!! have a peaceful day in the sun. steven

steven said...

hello bonnie - a peaceful, kind start to any day is always a blessing. i'm glad you found one here! steven

steven said...

hello jenny stevning - i'm pleased that this might have offered you a different perspective on your day!!! have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

hello golden west, this is where my bunnies like to hang out! if you click up the image you'll see proof scattered all over the place!!! have a fun day. steven

Pauline said...

wow! Rumi and Rabindranath Tagore in the same post. Add those glorious photos and you take the breath away!

Tessa said...

Such gorgeousness - as always, Steven! Thank you so much for stopping by my place and for the lovely, heartwarming Christmas wishes. Hope you're having a wonderful holiday season. Sending you all my love for now and for the fast approaching New Year!

Reya Mellicker said...

Pale midwinter sunlight on snowdrifts IS tangerine. Wow. I never consciously got that before. Very cool.

Winter sunlight here is very silvery, ephemeral.

But the light is returning! It'll be awhile before I can really tell the days are lengthening, true, but they are. Yeah!

Kass said...

Just scrolled through both of your blogs. Truly beautiful. Such a pleasure to meet you here.

♥ Boomer ♥ said...

Lovely, Steven!!

It's very cold and drizzly here, but I'm relishing the day anyway, because I'm still on vacation, and it's great to be alive. ♥

steven said...

hello pauline - thankyou and i am glad for you! it's a lovely confluence to be sure. i hope it's part of a larger lovely day for you. steven

steven said...

hello tessa and thankyou very much for your thoughtful comment. i remember being much younger and thinking about the twenty-first century as a place of magic and marvels beyond compare. it is. but not in the way i imagined! steven

steven said...

hello reya - yes it is tangerine isn't it. it's other shades also depending on the time of day. the sky. the time of year. the snow. i've already noticed something of the returning light. my son dawson mentioned yesterday that the sun was around longer ... and i thought about it and that felt right. oh yeah! steven

steven said...

hello kass - welcome!! i'm glad that you enjoyed your visits through the two blogs. i really love creating and sharing them and i feel especially fortunate that i get to meet the people who visit here. have a peaceful evening. steven

steven said...

hey boomer - you are so right! let the weather be what it needs to be and enjoy the day as the gift that it is!!! have a lovely evening. steven

Anonymous said...

Dear Steven
Rabindraneth Tagore
Yes, how he delights me now as he did when I was a teenager!
Bitingly cold here
loved your snow pictures
all best wishes for a wonderful 2010

Lisa Ursu said...

Another beautifully crafted post Steven. I absolutely love the snow falling on your blog. I can't say that enough.
Happy New Year to you!!!

Kathleen said...

And we had sunlight today, big blue dazzling sunlight. Otherworldly, almost.

BT said...

What beautiful words again, the sunlight in winter is truly a gift. I took some photos the other day of the sun streaming through red bramble leaves and they looked magical. I love your photo.