Photo credit: Robert Dekker (used with permission)
It's fascinating how the mind can take something - an image, a scent, a touch - and immediately transport a person back to a moment in time. A moment from many years ago, filled with the memory of emotions that wash over again, though slightly softer - like the tiny waves of a receding tide.
The flash of brilliant amber and emerald is enough to transport me back to beach holidays with my family. A young teenager, I remember starting to notice the world around me - to really see the beauty in the detail of the leaves, the tiny grains of sand mixed with multicoloured shells, the mighty waves crashing against the shoreline - and oh, the birds! How wonderful, how creative, is our God, to design such beauty and grace! Each delicate, brightly-coloured feather, iridescent in the sunlight - with fibres tightly knitted together to allow for flight as well as protecting against the wind and rain. Their tiny bodies, practically weightless, designed to dance on the tides of the wind with such precision and grace. Each beautiful little masterpiece giving praise to their Creator as they flit and dart and soar through the sky.
The flash of brilliant amber and emerald transports me back to that morning run with my dad. I remember pausing in the stillness of daybreak, the gentle waves washing against the damp sand the only sound as the pale early morning light streamed over the waves and across the golden sand. My dad put his arm around my shoulder as we stood side-by-side in awe of these stunning little birds darting between the long grass of the sandy banks. The memory of emotions washes over me again - though, unlike other memories, this one grows stronger with time. I remember the awe and wonder of a God that designed those brilliant colours, the joyful dance of these little ones along the shoreline, praising their Creator. Years later, I smile to myself as I thank the God who designed every detail of those beautiful little birds - if only just to bring me joy. I am filled with an even stronger sense of awe and wonder, as I know the Creator, the God of the details, who holds every moment of my life in His hands.
The photographer, a close friend of mine, tells the story of the photo behind this piece. A grey, dreary day, he shouldered his camera, not expecting much beauty to be found. Turning to head home after hours of nothing, a burst of sunlight streamed through a small crack in the blanked of clouds, dancing off the rainbow brilliance of this stunning bird. The bright, beautiful colours of the Rainbow Bee Eater are highlighted as the bird looks toward the source of light, with specks of colour dancing through the sky around the little bird representing the tides of the wind on which he will soon take flight.
- Subject Matter: Animal/Wildlife
- Collections: Treasures of the Great South Land