Beams of Heaven

Beams of heaven                                                          

streak through the evening clouds                

illuminating our country's flag

as it furls and unfurls 

at half-mast

in the gentlest of breezes.

Making me 

pause,

pray,

honor,

thank

the 13 heroes lost in duty.

Sometimes moments that occur in nature make you just stop in your tracks and notice the awe around you. 

This happened to me a few nights ago. I was with a group doing yoga outside at a park. While doing various poses, I was noticing the beauty of the sky- the cloud formations, the various hues of blue. 

Looking up at one moment, the sunbeams were streaming through the clouds and landing on our flag. Parts of the flag were brightened by this light as it waved in the subtle evening breeze. I just stopped.

I really stopped doing yoga with everyone else. It seemed to me that heaven was reaching down through those clouds to welcome home the 13 heroes lost in duty in Afghanistan and to offer comfort to our country. I offered up gratitude for the freedoms I have and for all the military that have stood up to defend these. 

This natural moment of sunbeams falling to earth helped me deal with the emotions of our tumultuous world. I hope it can do the same for you.