A Patio Andamento

a flow, a pattern, a movement

Standing with Trees by debgrant

A Patio Andamento by debgrant

I am learning contemporary mosaics. Andamento is an Italian musical term which in mosaic arts means flow or movement. It is a fundamental mosaic skill to place individual pieces - some different in color, size, texture - and visualize a theme, a focus for the viewing eye. As a preacher, I often looked for metaphors to illustrate a truth, a scripture passage. As an artist, I view the world looking at colors and patterns. As a child of God, I listen for the spiritual nudges that make me keenly aware of God’s presence.

This morning I was sitting on my patio and these are the mosaic pieces that came to me in separate bits.

• A book by Abraham Heschel in my lap opened to these words: “Awe…enables us to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple; to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal. What we cannot comprehend by analysis, we become aware of in awe.”

• A text message from a friend included a picture of her niece - a toddler - dressed in a fabulous pink shirt and green dinosaur tights. She was looking down at her socked feet poking sideways in her flip-flops. I immediately thought: what a splendid metaphor for those days in which we are both boldly ourselves and still uncertain how shoes are supposed to work.

• A car pulled up in my neighbor’s driveway. Not my neighbor. A stranger, an older woman stepped out in a gauzy dress of deep purples. She had a coffee cup and a pleasant smile. But she wasn’t quite right. She looked at me and through me. She said, “Starboard Drive, Starboard Drive.” She kept repeating the name of my street. I asked if she was okay. She said the street name again. The driver of the car - a man- her partner? Perhaps. He looked apologetic. She spoke to him saying “You must go up to her.” I was still standing above them on my patio. “You must go touch her.” The man said, “I’m sorry.” She won’t stop unless I touch you. I said, “It’s okay…I will come to you.” We stood together before the woman and I put my hand on the man’s shoulder and he touched mine. She was delighted and walked away. The man thanked me for my kindness and guided her back into the car and drove away. I pondered the gentility of the encounter, her flow of thought and movement, his walking grief.

• In less than a minute, a great blue heron flew over the patio. I heard its wings. I saw its long legs wafting behind. I marveled at its ability to make its awkward frame fly.

• And just as quickly, I heard the mechanical putter of a bi-plane. The version of a craft that still echoes the Wright brothers’ first flight. Awkward and noisy and yet, thrilling with its open cockpit and sense of adventure. It is on my bucket list to ride in one someday.

• These mosaic pieces happened. They presented themselves to me and seemed to beg for andamento - a flow, a pattern, a common thread. I read the Heschel quote again: “What we cannot comprehend by analysis, we become aware of in awe.” And there it was - the andamento - the flow, the pattern, the theme was Awe. My overthinking the random mosaic pieces of my patio morning could not fit logically together. But each piece contained something ultimate and eternal …something bigger…much bigger.

Peace,

debgrant