“Through some moment of beauty or
pain, some sudden turning of our lives, we catch glimmers of at least
what the saints are blinded by…” (Frederick Buechner, Listening To Your Life)
My friend, Rev. Jerald Smith, a hospital chaplain in Florida, writes a weekly essay called Glimmers that he sends to friends. He begins each writing with the quote from theologian Buechner, above.
As a hospital chaplain, Jerald has a unique opportunity to observe moments of beauty or pain and the sudden turnings of our lives where we see lightning flashes of God’s Love. The remarkable photo at left (click to enlarge) was picked as one of the best from National Geographic this past year…
Had we been sitting where the photographer was sitting, cruising the skies, would we have seen the same glimmer of beauty? Or would we have said, simply, "wow, look at the Zebras…awesome!" Identifying animals as Zebras, noticing them running, and then absorbing the impact of what happens when a striped animal casts a solid-colored shadow are each different ways of perceiving and progressively deeper ways of experiencing life.. 
One 18th century art form involved cutting silhouettes of people from black paper. Naturally, this art form paled in comparison to the color, depth and texture of a painting. But it was still entertaining. With the arrival of photography in the late 1840s, silhouette-making virtually vanished. A handful of skilled practitioners remain.
We often speak metaphorically about the shadows we cast in life. In black and white photos and films, shadows are particularly powerful and important.
Ultimately, visual art, whether as painting, silhouettes, photographs or movies, is about perception and the openness of our hearts. How do we, as caregivers, see each other and our patients? Have we trained our hearts to see the rich layers that exist within each person we encounter? Or do we simply see others as cardboard cutouts?
How does art enrich your life journey as you seek to deepen your humanity? Have you caught "glimpses of…what the saints are blinded by?" Why do we gain only glimpses?
-Erie Chapman
Journal of Sacred Work 
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