I was outside before the sun rose last Sunday morning; gradually I watched the sky brighten, then I watched the mountains in the background turn a brilliant orange as they were struck by the warm rays of the Utah sun. The mountains in the distance are the northern rim of the Brice Canyon National Park; the Scarecrow in the foreground stands in the middle of a vegetable garden at the friendliest Bed and Breakfast in all of Utah. As soon as I pressed the shutter on the camera, I knew that I would be sharing this photo with you even if the picture did not turn out perfectly; if for no other reason than how I felt on this perfect morning.

        I had the opportunity to get acquainted with my new friend for about 10 minutes as I waited for the sunlight to shine on his smiling face. Of course he was the strong silent type, concerned only with keeping the birds out of the garden; this he did with a mixture of vigilance, a winning smile and all the originality of a stop sign. Turns out that “Looks” once again are deceiving; even though we have a lot in common with Mr. Scarecrow, we have something he does not; the power to choose what kind of a person we shall be. He is forever the slave of someone else's idea of what he shall wear, where he shall stand, and what he shall be.

        We on the other hand are crowned with glory and honor, gifted with the abilities of sight, speech, reason and choice. Among all the creatures that grace this planet we are unique. We alone have the ability to laugh, to cry and to follow our dreams. No other creature is as creative as we are; we can adapt to any situation, rise above any hardship, and become anything we choose, provided we want it bad enough. Mr. Scarecrow has no advantages over us since we are blessed beyond imagination with more gifts than we could unwrap in a single lifetime.

        Yet, in spite of all our powers, abilities and gifts we can sometimes live life as if we too were as helpless as a Scarecrow. We have freedom of speech, yet we remain silent. We alone can express gratitude, yet we never say one word of thanks. We have the power to choose a live full of originality and meaning, yet we are content to merely imitate those around us. Have we forgotten just how unique and special we are? Or are we like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, who already possessed all he sought for in life, but never realized it.

Something to think about:

• If your daily life seems poor; do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches.

• Appearances are very deceitful. Things are not always what they seem.

• A friend is someone with whom you dare to be yourself.

• Every human being is intended to have a character of his own; to be what no others are, and to do what no other can do.

• It is our uniqueness that gives freshness and vitality to a relationship.

• To be nobody but yourself—in a world that is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else—means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight, and never stop fighting.

• Why is it so many want to be what they’re not while what they are is what others want to be?

Sorry for my absence last week, and thankful for a new day to share
Rickey Moore