Grateful for Cloud Formations

Day 4: Thirty Days of Gratitude for Our Earth

As kids, we had fun looking for familiar shapes and images in the clouds. It was a wonderful way to spend a summer afternoon. Clouds have a knack of capturing our imagination and stimulating creativity. What kid hasn't wondered what it would be like to sit on a cloud?

Now, as an adult I love looking at the bold and powerful formations that the atmosphere sculpts for us. When there are clouds present, the sky becomes a spectacle of moving forms. They are marvels of design, filling the space with positive and negative shapes. No two are the same and they continuously change from moment to moment.

Their fleeting shapes can be a lesson in impermanence. Like the clouds, everything in our lives constantly changes. We can choose to accept the flow of life's circumstances in order to experience greater happiness and reduced struggle.

Of course, besides their beauty, clouds are the delivery mechanism for rain and snow. Their presence effects the temperature, protecting us from heat and the rays of the sun.

I am grateful for the feeling of delight when the clouds put on one of their spectacular shows.