An impression of a leaf in concrete: who cares? I do, actually. This image can be amazing even though many might never take the moment to observe and to admire its simplicity. To me, this humble leaf cast in concrete represents the past, the present, and the future.
The past is fairly obvious. An image that boldly says, "I existed." This little leaf served its purpose to provide shelter, shade, and oxygen. The solitary leaf was then chosen to remain "alive" long after life has left in order to serve a new and lasting purpose.
The present is represented through the concrete that contains the leafy memory. Cement that humankind has perfected over time and uses almost everywhere. A firm matter that makes modern life easier, cleaner, starker. The leaf image provides a very small amount of softness and beauty to an otherwise utilitarian path.
Where is the future in all this? The invisible footprints that remain on the unassuming image track the future as the living advance to and fro into life's journey. The future is in the young and the old, human and beast, who run, skip, plod, shuffle, and tread on this imprint of the past preserved in the substance of the present.
Don't overlook nature when you venture into God's wondrous world, even nature that is preserved by humankind. Never discount the simple, the small, and the obscure that can possibly make you smile, cry, laugh, or ponder. This shade of a bygone leaf may not produce high emotion in the breast of the casual observer, but it can create a lasting impression on the soul if we allow it to penetrate the armor that is our distracted and busy lives. Admiration is free and takes but a moment.
I lived in the past * I dwell in the present * I uphold the future.
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