Glass

I love gazing at the variety of birds that are attracted to our backyard feeders and suet. They range from finches and cardinals to flickers and, once, a wild turkey visited. I marvel at their beauty, vibrancy and faith as they search out the feeders each morning. They eat a bit and then move on for their day's pursuits. I think that I would stay until the feeders were depleted but I guess that's why I can learn from them.
My wife, Natalie, was given some kind of "miracle cleaning cloth" several weeks ago that "guaranteed" streak-free cleaning with just the addition of water. I "know" that these things never work but darned if it didn't perform as advertised. After years of my window cleaning magic tricks, finally, something works! What a pleasure to gaze out at the eastern horizon and watch the sun peak over the pines to signal another day. Previously, I would be distracted by all the streaks on the window that I had missed and seldom fully appreciated the beauty unfolding. What a treat to seemingly not have anything between me and the beauty and activities of the backyard.
Unfortunately, I've had the sad task of giving "last rites" to three small birds during the past week. Seems they found out belatedly and fatally that the "invisible" was actually solid "streak-free" glass. What had been meant for good backfired with devastating consequences for these small trusting creatures. It made me realize just how much I take glass and it's attributes for granted.
I've had some exposure to the magic of glass through the Discovery Channel and when I visited my son Dan (John) while he was attending school in Toledo, OH, the self proclaimed glass capital. In addition, I've been enthralled at the spectacle of the heavens through the large delicately crafted glass lenses at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. I've watched the "slum dog" kids recover glass from the garbage of Manila and Kolkata where glass isn't so common. I've fished (and occasionally caught fish) with poles made of spun glass. It is amazing that I can sit here in my tee shirt in the comfort of our kitchen while gazing through glass to a world three feet away that is a frosty thirteen degrees. The "blindness" of astigmatism disappears for me because of glass.
I am sure you have your own reflections (pun intended) on the wonders of glass. Sometimes a failure to recognize "invisible" wonders in our hurried flight can bring us to an abrupt halt. However, I'd like to encourage you to cherish the everyday wonders that we so much know and expect. We are a blessed people with so many marvels that we take for granted. Cherish them! Then move on to the really amazing- the relationships; especially those that "can't be seen".