The Bottom of the Jar

Jar in Window. M.A.Hudson, 2014

Light is an important element in painting and in photography. Light changes over the course of time allowing very different images to emerge as the tones, hues, and shadows shift as the sun moves over and past an object.

 

In the quiet of an early November morning, as a sluggish sun was rising over the trees, this bottle caught my eye. Some of the items in it blocked the sun, some allowed a mere promise of light to shine through and others, near the bottom of the jar, glowed warmly like small fires waiting to ignite the entire contents.

 

Life can be a lot like that jar and we find ourselves surrounded by those events or people who block out all of the light. They keep out the warmth, the positive, and energy needed to sustain life.  Others may allow a small trickle to pass through them and may miserly share that promise of light and warmth. 

 

A few, sometimes almost too few, glow with a fiery core that says "just wait"....it is not all cold and empty, it is not all simply negative and positive, it is not simply have and have not, it is more than you can know...  They simmer there, near the bottom of the jar, to be a prize for endurance, patience, and hope. 

 

In the dark, they cannot be seen, but when the day dawns their inner fire stirs to life.  Just wait...seek the light....and look for the fire at the bottom of the jar. (M.A.Hudson, 2014)