On The Fly

In this episode, Reclaim Curiosity–Through the Lens of a Diamond . . .   “Beauty is the illumination of your soul.” — John O’Donohue. As a young gemologist, I stood before diamonds as some might stand under the stars—quiet, attentive, drawn in by something that felt much larger than language. Remember that magical moment when you first placed a diamond under the microscope! If you haven’t experienced it, allow me to paint a picture. Tilting it back and forth, the light danced into vibrant colors, reminiscent of that magical rainbow from the previous blog post ( The Rainbows Promise ), revealing a beautiful secret before your eyes! I thought: This isn’t just about science. This is about wonder. But it wasn’t until I began teaching others to see that I truly understood the art of curiosity — and how easy it is to lose it. My colleagues referred to this as the Art and Science of Gemology. Most students entered my classroom expecting a technical lesson: grading charts, clarity scales,...

In this episode, Where Beauty Lives . . .   Have you seen God in a shimmer of light? In a shadow that dances or stars in the night? Not tucked in a book or perched in the sky, But right in the dazzle that slips past your eye. In puddles and pinecones, in pebbles and air, In the whoosh of the wind or the curl of your hair — God isn’t hiding on some distant shelf, But laughing and leaping and being itself. Not grumpy or gloomy or watching you frown, But spinning the world in a marvelous gown! In bluebirds and brushstrokes, in fireflies' glow, In the hush of a moment that asks you to slow. So don’t wait for thunder or tablets or signs — Just follow the flicker that shivers the pines. Ask questions, see colors, be curious too, And beauty — beauty—will whisper to you: "I’m here in the quiet, I’m here in the gleam, I’m here in the in-between spaces you dream. So soften your eyes and open your heart — That’s where the seeing of seeing will start."