Narcissus-like a maple rouged by autumn admires his reflection. An egret becomes an angel rising. Yet, his launch distorts his mirror.   

   Reflections, whether in water or in another's eyes suggest the original & cannot duplicate it. It is the similarities that fascinate & the variations that challenge. 

  How do we know we love another? Is it because the eyes of mutual love electrify & beautify our best selves?

   No music compares to love's melodious echoes. No other dance thrills with the passion of love's pas de deux. 

   If we are made in God's image than it is God we experience when we gaze into the mirror of our lover's heart.

   But, we are human, not gods. The looking glass that reported beauty will also reveal cracks. We are more egret rising than anchored tree. 

   This is a gift. What if the one you love was perfect? Since you are not how could love survive? 

   Most never find love because they seek a god not a human. 

   Love thrives when it embraces the whole person; when it celebrates the ineffable & all-too-rare joy of sharing life with the one we name our beloved.   

-Rev. Erie Chapman

Photograph: "Realms of Reflection" by Erie