One of my kids is
studying to become a nurse. If I recall correctly, among Jarrett’s very first
classes was one on molecular biology, starting very small. That makes complete
sense to me as the foundation point for the study of disease and medicine.
It is almost
counterintuitive, because in life and work I have accustomed myself to look for
broader pictures. Even in photography, Gail has much more of an eye (patience,
more likely!) for macrophotography than I do. I’m the one who tends to compose
landscapes, panoramas and scenery; she will usually be the only one of us to
get down on the ground on her stomach and elbows and take close-ups of bugs, flowers
and whatnot. Doubtless there is symbol there, she with her details and me with
bigger picture things; we make for a good team.
Photo Notes…
1. Gail and I thought the larger shell was
small
when we picked it up,
perhaps a half inch in
diameter. Then we looked
more closely at the
shells strewn on the
Florida beach and
spotted the smaller one,
maybe 1/8 inch at
most. (We’ll often use
one of our rings in a
photo for size
comparison purposes.)
2. This brilliantly-colored little leaf hopper
is
maybe 3/16 inch long, and makes the grains of
sand seem as boulders. A question for my
entomologist friends Kirk or Bill: what kind is
it?
It’s from Michigan’s U.P.
3. Note the spiral beauty in a tiny cactus seen in
central Colorado, barely larger than Gail’s wedding rings.
4. This little hermit crab character might be one
the coolest photos of something small I have ever
seen. It was taken by our daughter Sarah and
son-in-law BJ on the Oregon coast, amazing.
Jesus said in Luke 16:10,
“Who is faithful in small things I will make faithful in much.” It was David,
the runt of the litter, who became Israel’s greatest king; ‘gravitationally-challenged’
Zacchaeus whose home the Savior chose to honor; sparrows nesting in the
temple’s eaves that caught the attention of the Psalmist; little children that
Christ challenged us to exemplify; Joseph, the little brother, who ends up
saving his family from famine; the tongue in James 3, likened to the small
rudder of a large ship or a small flame that starts a forest fire; Gideon’s
army whom God assured that smaller would be better; the infinitesimal ant that
provided a lesson to the wise writer of the Proverbs; even God himself who was
incarnated to us as a small baby in a small way in a small place.
~~ RGM, from an earlier journal entry,
adapted for my blog June 3, 2014
P.S. I remember from my
youth seeing a video that demonstrated the common frontiers of vastness and minutiae;
it was called “Powers of Ten.” Press here to check it out if you have several more minutes; it’s pretty impressive.
Rick: Your colorful little leafhopper is Graphocephala coccinea, the red-banded leafhopper. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are the man, Kirk! Thank you! Awesome even if I can't pronounce it!
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