A moment of color

My time in Portland was lovely, and I came back overflowing with ideas for creative expression, a reflection of the joy and love I felt being with my daughter; of the time alone, which often results in the springing forth of new ideas; and of the glories of autumn in Portland.

While many of the larger trees in Portland have already shed their leaves, others, like this one tucked against the side of my daughter's dormitory, have just begun to turn. And there's something about that rich blend of colors that just fills my soul.

This morning I will be embarking on a new study group, reading Laurence Freeman's "Jesus, the Teacher Within." The book arrived while I was away, but I had time to read the foreword -- by the Dalai Lama (!) -- while sipping my coffee this morning. He had some wonderful things to say about "the enormous potential for mutual enrichment in the dialogue between Buddhist and Christian traditions," and it feels a bit to me like what happens when so many colors meet in a single tree.

I like to think that in remaining open to the brightness of the different traditions, holding them all loosely within our branches, we can still remain uniquely ourselves, producing our own characteristic leaves, growing at our own unique pace, and yet serving as a beacon of creativity for all whose lives touch ours.

But maybe it's more than just the colors of the different traditions. Perhaps what the tree is really telling us is that it is the blending of all of our life's experiences, of all the different colors and flavors, the dark and the light, the passionate reds and the soothing greens, the joys and the sorrows, that together have the potential to inspire and enrich the world.

Or maybe this is nothing more than a beautiful tree, and it needs no words of explanation. Wherever the truth lies, I just wanted to share the colors with you.

Have a lovely, color-filled day!