Exploring Metaphors

Metaphors, parables, analogies, similes, symbols...



The metaphor, then, is not simply a figure of speech. It is a habit of thought, one we must develop in order to see.  The habit of metaphor allows us to see the large from the small, the pattern in chaos, that which is not expected, that which is expected, in new ways. Metaphor allows us to see relationships. Ultimately it is the relationships which constitute nature, not collections of individual objects.--Steven J. Meyers

A few weeks ago, after being at my computer for about 8 hours straight, I headed home to get caught up on some things I had been putting off.  Because I had been indoors since just before daybreak I did not realize this particular fall day was so lovely.  So, on the ride home I decided to put things at home off a little longer, grab my camera, and go for a walk. After taking some long deep breaths and delighting in the time I would have with God in His creation, I asked Him, "What do you want me to see?"

My destination was a pond that I had been to just weeks before. I quickened my pace to get there in time to capture the sunlight on the pond at sunset.  I quickly walked past some late blooming day lilies.  It intrigued me that on an early November day I would still see small yellow flowers.  Then from the corner of my eye I saw a late bloomer that I could only conclude had been transformed by the frost into something unique.

After thinking about the flower's yellow beauty only a few short weeks ago, a metaphor started to take shape in  my mind.  I began thinking about what is left behind when we leave this life. Even though the color/flesh is gone, there is something beautiful  that remains. The picture in this post represents that for me...

What memory of you will be left behind when you leave this life?  What transformed your life here on earth?  As you look through a different lens and contemplate the quote above, think back to photographs you have taken when a similar thing may have happened. Have you been able to develop a metaphor from any of these pictures? Please post your experience--I would enjoy hearing about it!

Celesa
ReflectionsThat Come