where life is perfect, we have the perfect job, we have perfect kids, and the perfect mate. We set out everyday trying to obtain this idea of perfection. The reality is perfection on earth does not exist and that in itself is what makes it so beautiful. My mother told me one day, "life is a great deception." C. S. Lewis wrote, "All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." At the time I thought she was being somewhat pessimistic but there is some truth to her words. The deception lies in our desire. This desire can translate to many different things, the need to control, the pursuit of wealth and success, or denial. The Magnolia tree represents the beauty and ugliness of life. I have been living in the South for five years now and there are Magnolia trees everywhere. At first I thought it was the most exotic plant I have ever seen, then its' leaves turned brown, and eventually fell off the tree, creating an unsightly mess. But what remained was the most exquisite flower with pedals larger than the palm of my hand. They were like life, they weren't the perfect size, they weren't neat and perfect; but large, overlapping, falling over, luscious to the touch. They were sloppy, a lot like life. There is a sense of completeness, happiness, joy, or whatever you want to call it, it comes from something larger than life itself, something so unbelievable you have to believe it.
