“Magnolia Tree” by Christine B.
Earlier this week, while escaping my ice-cold office and collecting warmth in the tree-adorned area just outside, I looked up and noticed a flash of red in the magnolias. The seed pods were exploding with color. In awe, I simply paused and allowed the beauty to wash over me.
My penfriend, Christine, must have been awed by the magnolia’s beauty too. She enclosed with a birthday card the precious gift of a magnolia watercolor that may have been inspired by my spring magnolia post. [The scan above does little justice to her art]. She perfectly captured the creamy white with just a nod at yellow. What appears gray on screen is actually silver, and those silver and green splashes capture and “emote” the experience of being in the actual presence of the tree in bloom.
Sparkly. Tingly. Beautiful.
Pavithra Mehta’s declaration regarding the magnolia warrants repeating, so I’m thankful Christine reminded me of it.
There is something arresting and unearthly about a magnolia tree in flower. Something that dances between divinity and dementia.
This weekend may you pause for a moment and give into the beauty of some thing, some one, some moment; may you allow it to grip you and wash over you, to soak into your skin, permeate your being, and change some part of who you are.
Side Note: I began interacting with Christine, the artist, via Jennifer Belthoff’s Love Notes project. In the few years since we met she has become one of my treasured friends. If you love snail mail, meeting new people, and sharing your light, consider participating in the next round of Love Notes. It begins October 13, so get signed up today: Love Notes 29.
Pics and Posts 
So happy to think you had a nice birthday and I was able to be apart of it. Great blog. I hope you are taking time for yourself. Be good to you
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Thanks, Christine–for everything!
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Very beautiful art, and I love the quote! I’ve remembered your magnolia photos from the spring, Chandra, they were really gorgeous and artistic pictures.
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Thank you. You’re so kind. I love that quote too. I think of it every time I see a magnolia tree–and I see a tree almost every day!
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Nice Mehta quote. And what is it about the south and those frostbite cold offices? I hate that.
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Omgosh! I know. Crazy. But our offices are sometimes ice-cold and sometimes stifling. Rarely what it needs to be!
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I have never seen this. Wish I could.
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Never seen a magnolia? You must take a trip to the South!
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Thank you, Chandra.
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Something that dances between divinity and dementia. Now that’s an interesting line. I can easily imagine this when the flowers begin to turn brown on the edges. Their lemony smell is delightful. Lovely post! Thanks for the prompt to give in to a thing of beauty.
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Yes. You know exactly the feeling of being amongst the magnolia. Your last phrase reminds me of Keats–“a thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
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They will always be blooming somewhere in our memories.
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