If you don't live in Paradise Village, I can understand your reaction to yet another set of pictures of the Bird of Paradise... You are probably thinking, "Oh, here we go again... another bunch of Bird of Paradise pictures, but I never get tired of them.  I've never seen so many of this particular plant anywhere else, so now I am becoming a better viewer of them.  The first one here is a newly opened, fresh one.  The colors are brilliant, and the flower looks as if has always been and will always be perfect.  Of course, we all know that permanent perfection is not the way of the natural, living world.  Looking for and finding reason, perfection in each of the stages of living is worth the time.  This morning as I walked behind my friend's wheel chair, I had to look closely and deliberately to find beauty in his growing older and older.  He is experiencing Alzheimer's disease.  It is harder all the time now to find my friend in the fog of the advancing disease, but to see him respond to the sounds of children playing at recess in the schoolyard nearby, is wonderful.  His face lights up, and he remembers something that he cannot express when he hears the kids laughing and squealing.  He sometimes smiles beautifully and then he may slowly drop off to sleep and I always hope he is dreaming of the experience of being a beloved child in the family that loved him.  Today I was reminded of human beings moving through life as I saw Birds of Paradise doing the same thing.