Epiphany

Epiphany: 1.an appearance or manifestation, esp. of a deity, 2.(cap.) a Christian festival, observed on Jan. 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth Day. 3.a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or the essential meaning of something, often initiated by some simple, commonplace occurence. 4. a literary work or section of work presenting such a moment of revelation or insight. (Random House Webster's College Dictionary; 1991; Random House)



While no deity or Christ appeared to me yesterday, and neither am I a Magi or wise man, nor is this blog anything remotely resembling a literary ephiphany, I was moved yesterday on highway 25/70 by the simple, commonplace occurence of mid-winter morning sunlight softly but boldly sliding in sideways through low, thick snow clouds over the mountains. Baby blues and the faintest pink highlighted the bright white sky and ground. The deep wintry green of the mountainside conifers offered pleasing depth to what very well might be the closest I come to an epiphany this winter.

The everyday happenings of life on this planet seem to offer endless commonplace revelatory moments of intense beauty and realness. Life itself, with the inevitability of its Death (and rebirth)- the whole package deal- is the closest thing to a deity I can come up with this Epiphany.

On a related tangent: The recent appearance of a large flock of highly active and busy robins in the neighborhood has myself and several neighbors confounded and most interested. I suppose they are a nearby resident roost which is searching for winter berries and food to snack on. Their fluttery and chatty kinetic presence seems odd against the backdrop of a very still and quiet snowy terrain.