glory; beauty

i saw the most beautiful sky last night.

I was driving to my friend's house when i noticed that, though it was pouring rain, the sky was unnaturally light. i looked to the west - the direction i was driving, and saw a line where the clouds just ended near the horizon. the longer i drove, the closer the sun got to peeking out of the heavy, angry cloudage, and the more the sky seemed brilliantly gilded. when the sun finally shone through, the raining, wet, reflective world turned glorious. everything was a different shade of gold. everything the light touched was transformed into loveliness incarnate. everything reflected glory.

with all that rain, and all that sun, i kept looking for a rainbow. i craned my neck, i strained my eyes.... and then - there it was. a big, fat, pot'o'gold-worthy rainbow in the east, directly across the sky from the magnificent sunset which was slowly unfolding. as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky, the rainbow became more clear and more colorful. after picking up my friend, (there was no way i was going to go inside at this point) i stopped and sat to watch it all. the rainbow was a full bow - a perfect half-circle with a faint mirror image on either side. The sky, from west to east, was brilliantly bright, to pure golden light, to shining raindrops (those perfect little prisms), to light-invaded clouds, to a radiant ring of color interrupted by the horizon, which, though immovable could not even contain the heavens' beauty; for the water on the streets reflected the bow to complete the full circle.

we sat and watched as the sun disappeared, the clouds caught on fire, and as the rainbow was surrounded by a deep purple and then slowly faded. the rain subsided, and all was still; just a sloshy reminder of a scene that could have been something out of a dream.

i don't have a picture! because i didn't have my camera. but i can remember perfectly the beauty i not only saw, but felt. how strongly imprinted on my heart was the glory of the One who can create such beauty.

and that is not something i will forget for quite some time.