There is a breathtaking experience that happens when one is in relative proximity to trees when the sun is out. Seeing the light shine through the brilliant green leaves, or needles of a fir, is one of God’s stunning gifts to us. I got to experience such a moment today when we went as a family to our property.
I did a quick search to see if there was a word in our incredible language that described such an event. People have used the word dappled to describe sun shining through trees, how it lands, dappled on the forest floor. That word isn’t lovely enough to describe that in my opinion. In Japanese, komorebi describes this experience a bit better. The english language doesn’t have an adequate translation for this word. It roughly translates to when the sunlight shines through the leaves of trees, or the scattered light that filters through when sunlight shines through trees. It alludes to the feeling of this experience.
Where we live in the world, sunshine in January is a gift from the Lord. Standing there at the top of the hill, with my winter coat and hat on, gloves failing to keep my hands warm, I decided to stop what I was doing and close my eyes. I faced the sunlight directly to absorb that brief moment of wonder. There was a moment of actual warmth as the sun’s rays soaked into my cold face. In a hurried world that is busy and tired, absorbing that moment when the light shines through the trees can make all the difference.