"Unique New York."

A few months ago, a friend of mine asked me about my enamor for New York. What was so special about it? They asked. I tried to pinpoint exactly why I love New York so much, and a C.S. Lewis quote came to mind: 

"When you painted on earth... it was because you caught glimpses of Heaven in the earthly landscape."

~ C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

Whenever I think of New York, I envision a beautiful, lush, lively garden. That's what the City is, to me: A garden that's been drowned in concrete. Too often the non-stop traffic, quick pace, and heavy rains cause us to lose sight of the garden. But, if you look closely enough, you can spy flowers beginning to bloom through the cracks in the cement. The garden is trying to find its way back.

In a way, New York embodies something important about life. Our world might be marred by hate, tears, and dirt now... but one day, the Hand of God will move and the Garden will reemerge. Until then, it's always going to be a struggle to find beauty in the world around us - not because it doesn't exist, but because we don't always remember what it looks like. Beauty is everywhere. It's in a newborn baby's first laugh, the last ray of light as the sun sets below the horizon, a loved one's embrace... and catching the sight of a long lost Garden, thriving in full bloom.

"But a certain sign of grace, is this: from the broken earth flowers come, pushing through the dirt."

~ "Wholly Yours," David Crowder Band

Without wax,

Sarah.

(PS: These pictures are part one of two.)