WHY I DO WHAT I DO: On St. Patrick's Day Chuck Colson gave a speech on his radio show called How the Irish Saved Civilization. In it he talked about the unique tendency of the Irish to recognize and study the handiwork of God. They saw in His creation a way to understand and illustrate who He is, both for their own understanding as well as for instructing others about God. Perhaps in my Irish DNA (I have lots of it!) there is some hardwired extra aptitude for responding to God's revelation of Himself in His creation. Maybe it explains why I squeal over wild skies and catch my breath at mountain splendor and feel like I'm going to explode with the exhilaration of the wind roaring like a freight train through the pines.

C. S. Lewis once wrote to his friend of the blessing of seeing, feeling or experiencing something pleasurable, "It is a message. We know we are being touched by a finger of that right hand at which there are pleasures for evermore. There need be no question of thanks or praise as a separate event, something done afterwards. To experience the tiny theophany is itself to adore. Gratitude exclaims, very properly, 'How good of God to give me this.' Adoration says, 'What must be the quality of that Being whose far-off and momentary coruscations are like this!' One's mind runs back up the sunbeam to the sun."(Letters to Malcolm, Letter XVII) I simply cannot read that quote without tears.

THAT is why I take pictures and create greeting cards. When I capture a moment with my camera, it is my attempt to run back up the sunbeam to the sun. In making my photography available to others, I hope that I can lead others up the sunbeam too.