The world itself is full of awe and wonder, natural and man-made; there are so many to pick from. It is a sensory and divine gift when we get to experience both at the same time. When the first feeling of a new experience flows like silk through my consciousness, I celebrate the awe and wonder with emotion and interjections. I chose one personal experience of awe and wonder that has always lingered in my brain and beckons me to hold the inner vision as a picture post card memory and I am drawn to the outer vision like a moth to a flame.

     Sunlight is my favorite color. Not just the obvious yellows, oranges, and associated hues but an unnamed color that fills in spaces with a natural glow. Sunlight provides rising warmth that paints the land gently pulling the world into eastern wakefulness and lulling it into western slumber. Sunlight allows plants and children to grow and causes the water to sparkle and dance. Sunlight welcomes life in and warms up urban landscapes on a large scale and on a small scale bakes a house into a home. A house of red bricks bathed in sunlight is visual comfort food. I love the softness of sunlight in the early morning, and I am in solar nirvana when natural light alone illuminates my home. Sunlight streaming through the windows of houses of worship signals the presence of the God we serve on worship day.

     At each sunrise from the horizon, there is daily renewal afresh with opportunity, possibility, promise and achievement; there is natural illumination for positive movement in the world. Sunlight enhances the beauty of any locale in every season. If I lived on a farm, I would be awestruck by sunbathed amber waves of grain. Sunlight and its far-reaching rays in urban spaces unite the handiwork of God and man.

     I’m a city girl from Philadelphia, PA with an urban perspective and I am always awestruck when I get to see another sunny day. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of urban living, I stop and take stock of natural beauty to dissolve any cynicism I may have about living in the cold, naked city. I am lucky because I get to witness and experience awe and wonder of the beauty of sunlight from the window seat of the bus and regional rail system. While our historical monuments maintain a stately presence basking in the sun; the evolving Philadelphia skyline allows sunlight to produce images of awesome wonder and gives way to solar praise. I have always loved how sunlight casts its rays upon urban landscapes heating the business district for the daily grind. The city movers and shakers get the chance to have their place in the sun.

     When I ride the train to and from work each day I look forward to seeing skyscraping structures of glass and steel meeting the sunrise, waiting to be dressed by Mother Nature in golden business attire. In the evening I love to see the jewel toned colors of the setting sun dressing the same architecture for the evening against a backdrop of various hues of the blue sky and sun colored yellow, orange, pink, and purple clouds. I am compelled to photograph each time I think I see nuances on the landscape. A digital image of awe and wonder forever captured for my personal viewing.

     In May of 2000, I was on the train travelling home from the God forsaken den of despair I called the office. At the right moment, I looked through the window in the advancing sunset and I received a personal epiphany from a golden, glowing, sunlit cross from atop the steeple of The National Shrine of St. John Newman. I realized that every workday would not be a bad day. This image of awe and wonder has left a permanent imprint on my brain, and I have looked forward to seeing this gleaming structure ever since.

     Experiences of awe and wonder allow me to be human, to define my personal aesthetic and express my artistic response. I appreciate the splendor of the extraordinary, the elegance of the mundane and the beauty of the divine. I am afforded the opportunity to respond and to react to events and stimuli that impact how I see the world through the windows of my soul.

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