ILLUMINATING  -  Olympic National Park, WA

The clouds were determined to keep the sun to themselves that evening, hanging thick blue-gray curtains across the sky. The sea was dark, the shoreline cool, and even the old rock standing watch along the waterline settled into shadow. It appeared the day would end quietly behind the storm. But just before setting, the sun found its opening and slipped in magnificent rays of gold - just enough to lay a bright path of gold across the water and sand, as if pointing out something the world might otherwise miss.

For a moment, the waves caught that light, the shore held it, and the steadfast rock glowed with its presence. Nothing about the scene had changed, but under that brief spotlight, everything felt newly revealed. Illumination has a way of doing that, reminding us that it only takes the smallest opening for light to show us what has been there all along.

A brief moment of illumination can reveal the world in a whole new way, if we just pay attention.