“From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.” – Dr. Seuss

Every now and then, when I rummage through my photo library, I notice that my recent photos follow some sort of pattern or trend. Lately, that pattern seems to be random moments of surprise while going about my daily business. Moments that made me stop and say, “Huh. Would ya look at that.”

Like on Easter morning, when the boy next to me made shadow puppets on the floor throughout the service. (Standing room only crowd forced us to sit on a marble ledge along the church’s perimeter.)

Or when a trash/recycle bin smiled at me.

Or when I received an unexpected greeting instead of the daily special.

Or when a trip to the store was sponsored by the letter “B”: Broad, Burly Boy Bought a Big, Bright Balloon Bouquet. (You should have seen this guy. He was so proud of his purchase. He took such pains to secure them before walking outside. It was SO dear.)

Or this afternoon when I saw this pair of elderly women strolling through the neighborhood. It’s hard to tell from this cruddy photo, but the woman in the front is white and the woman behind her is black. In a time when so many twisted people seem to proudly wear their hatred and racism as badges of honor, this was such a refreshing sight. This obviously wasn’t quite as funny or quirky as other recent photos, but it still caught me by surprise. I’ve always believed that racism is taught/learned, but this moment reminded me that racism is also a decision. At their ages, these women must have encountered segregation at some point during their formative years. Yet there they were, just two lovely friends taking a leisurely walk together, soaking in the sunshine.

The world needs more of them. And smiling trash cans. And balloon bouquets. And shadow puppets. And the discovery of fun and joy in the mundane.

May you be blessed with many of these moments.