Patsy Clairmont - Kaleidoscope: Seeing Gods Wit and Wisdom in a Whole New Light

The other day I stepped into a whimsical toy store... alone. Yes, I confess Im just a kid disguised as an ancient artifact. I use the excuse that Im a nana to peruse the playful offerings, when really Im fascinated by the cleverness of so many of the designs. Who thinks these things up?

For instance, I saw a paunchy mouse. When you cranked its curly tail, it spit plastic cheese. Now, please, who wouldnt want one of those? Or what about the sinister talking dinosaur who threatened to eat your mother? Excuse me? Obviously the creator hadnt worked through his issues! Or my favorite, the calico cat that purred lullabies over her babies. Aw.

I started down an aisle, when my attention was drawn to a girl who looked to be about seven years old, standing near a display of puffy, pink kangaroos. She had just unearthed from a basket of action figures a kaleidoscope. It was a small one without much outer appeal, but she evidently was experienced with kaleidoscopes and seemed excited to investigate the surprise within it. First, she surveyed the cylinder from both ends; then she shook it; finally she pulled it up to her face; as she turned toward the light. Her little face scrunched up in absolute focus as she rotated the tumbler and drank in the sights.

When she finished her visual tour, she set aside the kaleidoscope, which is when I inched my way toward it. I dont know if youre like this, but if someone sees something I cant see, Im willing to pay extra for the view. Subtle as a semi in my attempt to reach the cardboard tube, I stumbled over a wagon full of iridescent sea lions. Im grateful that the girls attention was pinned to a bin of rubber lizards and light-up snakes, which gave me the opportunity to casually pick up the petite kaleidoscope and have a look-see for myself. And no, I didnt have to scrunch up my face to focus; mine came that way.

What is there about a kaleidoscope that tilts our world? I mean, who knew that a simple tube of mirrors filled with beads or pebbles that catch light and make geometric designs could captivate so many for so long? And yet they have. If youre like most of the population, you find it hard to pass one by on a store shelf without at least, like me, taking a quick peek. Probably because we know that, with one spin of the tumbler, we will see dynamic patterns transform again and again, creating our own art gallery that we help design by our touch. Im sure our involvement is part of the draw, knowing that with each additional turn the view is new and mesmerizing, like a rainbow refracted in ocean waves lapping across white sands.

Every child delights in a visual roll through the world of wonder, but the enjoyment doesnt stop in childhood. Im proof. I remain fascinated with the explosive color show twirling about inside a cylinder that offers me a private viewing of my own hand-held universe. It is no wonder to me that we adults meticulously design, fervently collect, artistically display, and passionately sell kaleidoscopes of all intricacies and sizes.

In fact, the largest one is circling in space over us at this very moment: the Hubble kaleidoscope captures the panoramic patterns of the heavens and tumbles them back to Earth. Through it we can explore the cascading bits and pieces of the universe via its eye and witness the most dangerous, spectacular, and mysterious depths of the cosmos.

The most expensive earthly kaleidoscope recorded was sold in 1987 by Londons auction house, Sothebys, for $75,000. (My husband and I bought our first home for only $21,000.) It is a brass cylinder mounted on a tripod and inscribed with these lines:

Who could from thy outward case, half thy hidden beauties trace?

Who from such exterior show, guess the gems within that glow!

Emblem of the mind divine, cased within its mortal shrine.

The word kaleidoscope means beautiful shapes to look at and examine. I think my favorite feature of kaleidoscopes, though, regardless of their beauty or collectibility, is their eclectic potential. Probably because, quite honestly, Im an eclectic person. I dress as though I have tumbled out of a color wheel; I decorate my home in mixes of styles and hues; I like to cook without rhyme or reason. (My hubby refers to me and my in-kitchen escapades as she who experiments.) My propensity for such diversity probably explains why Im drawn to not only the fragmented somersaults within a kaleidoscope but also to the varied flurry of the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs is like a four-mirrored kaleidoscope that gives a parade of images. On first glance, this book appears to be an unorganized shopping list for a myriad of professions: parents, counselors, teachers, singles, wiveswhy, there is even a list of verses cautioning one from becoming a full-time, card-carrying fool. But in truth the parade of topics helps us see reflections of divine yet practical insights for daily living, regardless of profession.