Beauty and the Beholder

A Few Quotes

2010-07-28T12:21:00.001-04:00

A good friend of mine urged me a few weeks ago to post again. Thanks, Melissa! I'm working on an article on an unrelated topic so all I've got today are a few quotes I've collected recently. I'll write a real post soon. Remember to enjoy the beauty around you!

“The chearful birds their airy carols sing/And the whole year is one eternal spring.” Ovid, Metamorphoses

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” Aristotle

“Earth laughs in flowers.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Quotes about Beauty

2010-04-30T16:58:00.002-04:00

I've been busy with my CS Lewis Fellows program but found a few beauty quotes I wanted to share with you. Hope you enjoy!

"A journey into the wilderness is the freest, cheapest, most nonprivileged of pleasures." Edward Abbey

"Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own." Charles Dickens

"Butterflies are self-propelled flowers." R. H. Heinlein

"The stars are the streelights of eternity." Anonymous

"I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them." Pablo Picasso

"People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy." Anton Chekhov

Saying Grace

2010-02-12T17:49:00.002-05:00

"You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” G.K. Chesterton

And, if I may add, "grace before I look at the snow that fell yesterday afternoon." We don't get much snow where I live so when the flakes start falling, this corner of the world tends to stop. It's not the snow that's the problem, of course. It's the ice it leaves behind for the next couple of days. Right now, bright sunlight is coaxing the snow to let go of leaves, branches, and pine needles. Large chunks are falling to the ground. Our neighbor's roof is still covered, though, and the whiteness of it is made brighter, almost blinding, by the sunlight. It's hard to look for long, but then, for this Southern girl, it's hard not to.

What beauty do you see outside your window? Or along your way today?

Beauty in Friends

2010-02-03T10:19:00.003-05:00

Hello there. I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted until a friend of mine asked me to start up again. (Thanks, Melissa!) It wasn't an intentional omission. My focus has been on the CS Lewis Fellows program (www.cslewisinstitute.org) and other areas of writing and, well, living.

I have another friend who is very ill right now. She, like Melissa and I, adores beauty. All winter long, Nancy deals with bitter cold and snow and long, dark days. She looks forward to spring and to the first hint of lilacs blooming. When she emails that she saw and smelled her first lilac blossom of the season, I can hear the joy and relief in her words.

Inside her cozy home, she creates beautiful art books with intricate folds, gorgeous papers, a well-chosen word here, a little detail there. When she's done, she sometimes gives these beauties of heart and hand to friends who treasure them as well as the person who made them.

When she felt better, she wrote thoughtful, reflective posts for her blog. Her writing required her readers to think about the deeper things of life.

Last June, I met some friends from my writers' group at a fellow member's home in Alaska. Even though Nancy was ill then, she was able to enjoy the trip to the fullest. Like the rest of us, she drank in the beauty of that wild land and took countless photos of the landscape. I remember one time on a cold, drizzly day, she stood looking at the water below and the mountains behind it while the rest of us huddled inside the car. Later that afternoon, she and I stood together under my umbrella and marvelled at a glacier on the side of the road. Another friend took a photo of us, me looking at the glacier, Nancy smiling at the camera.

Earlier last year, she and I went to a famous art museum in her city. We meandered through many of the galleries, lingering with the Impressionists. We chose our favorite paintings and discussed why we liked them so much. At lunch in the noisy, crowded cafe, we talked about art and beauty and writing. It was a short visit, but one I'm glad I made.

Now that she's so sick, she's not able to keep in touch by email or even talk on the phone much. I miss her. I miss her love for beauty and creativity, her emails, and her smile. I wish we could sit around the table with our other friends and share our stories, our writing, our lives. And of course our chocolate. She's never far from my thoughts and prayers. Even though I can't be, I know that the God of beauty--our Lord and Savior--is with her, comforting her and reminding her how very much she is loved.

God bless you, my dear friend.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T10:50:00.003-05:00

The memorial service for a friend of ours was this morning. I'm sad that she passed away but glad that because she believed in Jesus Christ as her Savior, she is with him in heaven right now.

As I think about how quickly life passes, I'm especially grateful this Thankgiving. Here are a few things I'm grateful for in no particular order:

* my husband and my daughter
* my family and friends
* a body that moves and breathes and performs countless tasks every day that I take for granted
* a mind that can think, learn and reason
* provision for basic needs and many, many extras besides
* holiday get-togethers with dear ones
* mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, and our family's favorite baked beans
* creation (you knew that would be on this list, didn't you?)
* medicine for laryngitis and sinus infections
* laughter, and lots of it
* beauty, of course
* the arts, especially visual and theater
* tears of joy, tears of sorrow, tears of compassion
* language, words, and the Word
* grace
* grace
* grace

Thank you for reading. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

This Week

2009-11-19T09:58:00.002-05:00

I'm a little under the weather this week. I'll be back next week. As Thanksgiving approaches, let's be thinking about the beauty around us and what type of beauty we are thankful for and why (ex: music, dance, literature, creation, etc). If you have a minute, leave a comment about it.

In the Mountains

2009-11-04T20:54:00.007-05:00

I was in the midst of beauty last weekend. We stole away to the north Georgia mountains for a few days. Along the way up to the cabin, we drove across a small bridge over a stream that was rushing from recent rainfalls. We went through a narrow passageway with the leaves on both sides; the woods appeared to be on fire all around us. When we got up to our home for the weekend, we stood on the front porch and gazed at the mountains in the distance, with the trees below. It was gorgeous. We were grateful.

Inside the simple, comfortable, and newly-built cabin, the fragrance of wood paneling welcomed us at the door. Every window opened onto a different view of creation. Ahhhh...Whatever stress we felt before leaving home began to melt away until what was left was peace. Just what we needed.

A Few Things I Love about Fall

2009-10-28T21:01:00.002-04:00

"The day I see a leaf is a marvel of a day." ~Kenneth Patton (courtesy of my friend Bonnie Bruno)

A Few Things I Love About Fall:

leaves in full glory, giving glory to their Creator
pumpkins of every size as far as the eye can see
clear blue cloudless sky
little kids wearing orange
blue jeans and sweaters and rugged old shoes
apples
applesauce
apple cinnamon anything
fall festivals
the smell of a fire
chilly temperatures that turn noses pink
colorful scarves handmade by my nieces and my friend
flannel pajama pants on Sunday afternoons
cozy evenings at home
giving thanks

How about you? What do you love about the fall?

Painted Leaves

2009-10-22T13:00:00.004-04:00

"October is the month for painted leaves. Their rich glow now flashes round the world. These little leaves are the stained windows in the cathedral of my world." Henry David Thoreau

Fall is just now beginning to make her appearance where I live. Lately, we've had unseasonably warm temperatures and sometimes devastating flooding. I've never seen as much rain as we have had this last month or so. People have lost their homes to creeks and the river rising. The severe drought that I've occasionally written about on this blog is officially over.

But I don't want to write about rain as I sit enjoying the sunlight streaming through my windows today. Sunlight, sunbeams, sun's rays: all beautiful sights to see-- and by which to see. It seems as though the season of fall and the way the sun falls on the earth makes all the colors brighter and more vivid. Maybe it's just the chilly temperatures invigorating me or the anticipation of the colors of the leaves--"painted leaves", as Thoreau says.

We've had some leaves changing here. Our dogwood leaves put on a rich dark red last week and now they're wearing brown. But one tree stands out to me right now. The tree at the entrance to our neighborhood is on fire. It's one of my favorites in the fall because its gorgeous, flaming orange welcomes me home and reminds me of coziness, warmth, and family.

What are your favorite "painted leaves"? Do you have a favorite tree or memory of a tree in the fall? Tell me about it. Leave a comment.

Retreating at Camp WinShape

2009-09-16T07:28:00.004-04:00

Last weekend I attended my first CS Lewis Fellows Retreat at Camp WinShape Retreat Center. The retreat center was absolutely gorgeous. The buildings are done in a Normandy, France style with white-washed brick, dark brown wood, spires and arches. The indoor spaces were warm and welcoming, with exposed brick, high windows, and hardwoods. The view was gorgeous, with mountains in the distance and remnants of a dairy farm below. Aesthetically, I was in heaven.

And spiritually too! I spent most of my time thinking, talking and learning about the Creator. To be in that place with other people who are serious about pursuing God, about knowing Him better, made the surroundings and the weekend all the more beautiful.

Have you had a similar experience of finding a place even more beautiful because of the people you are sharing it with? Tell me about it.

My Daughter's Art Piece

2009-08-30T20:57:00.007-04:00

"What nature-lover's tongue can tell,
What golden pen portray,
The outpoured, flaming splendors
Of a bright September day?"
Charles G. Stater

Happy September! We've had so much rain this week we are feeling water-logged, but I am not complaining. We've been in severe drought these last two years, so I'm grateful to see, feel, and smell that wet stuff that falls from the sky. But right now, the sun is shining and for the moment at least, it is a bright September day. This is one of my favorite months because my daughter was born in September. It's also a nice transitional time between the heat of August and the coming fall.

Speaking of my daughter, right now I'm looking at one of her art projects that hangs in my office over my printer. A landscape done from pastels, this piece shows the sun setting over purple mountains with a green valley and blue lake below. The water reflects the fiery sun as tall water plants on the shore frame it. The blues, purples, and greens of this piece catch my eye and hold it. When I look at it, I think of her and of the Creator Who created the landscape and inspired the art (and the art teacher). And I give thanks for the beauty around me, both inside these four walls and out.

Have a bright September day.

A Softer Shade of Beauty

2009-08-27T10:27:00.003-04:00

School is back in session so we're getting up and out early. This morning, while I was loading the car, I could see pink through the garage windows. I ran to the ones that face the front of the house and saw some faint streaks of pink. That little bit of pink sifted through the trees onto the grass, the driveway, and the curled-up leaves on the driveway, and turned them all a softer shade of beauty. When I will realize that when morning breaks, I should be out on my porch drinking it in? I need to figure out how to carve out some morning minutes for that.

Summer Breeze

2009-08-19T07:40:00.002-04:00

"Summer breeze...makes me feel fine..." Do you know that song? Recorded in the '70s by Seals and Crofts, it was one of the first songs I liked as a 'tween (now I'm dating myself). I've heard it a lot recently. Our favorite restaurant plays a cover of it by a different, probably younger, group on their music track. They do a good job with it, I think.

I've had occasion to sing it to myself lately because I've been outside a good bit. Three weeks ago today, a stray dog "found" us--or found our front porch, rather, which she was using as home base when I discovered her. She's reddish brown, 30 pounds, and has a face like a fox. We jumped through all the hoops to find her owner, starting with checking her microchip, which had outdated information on the owner. We researched on the internet, posted flyers, talked to vets, and emailed area rescues. In the meantime, "Lucy" has been charming us with her sweet and gentle ways, and our dog seems to like having a playmate. Yes, we're in trouble.

Yesterday, while I was letting both dogs outside, I stood on the shady part of the deck. The August heat can be oppressive here, especially with the almost ever-present humidity, but a few days this week, we've actually had a breeze. Ahhh. It's amazing what a difference it can make. One morning, the breeze went through and rustled the leaves on the trees that surround our deck. The birds were singing and occasionally a poplar leaf would fall. Butterflies were feeding on the butterfly bush below and the dogs chasing each other at full speed from the yard, along the lower level of the deck, and up the stairs to where I was.

I thought about how my daughter starts school tomorrow, which signals the end of summer. Soon all the leaves will fall and the breeze will turn chilly. But for now, for the next six weeks or so, whenever I can, I'm going to enjoy that "summer breeze...makes me feel fine."

Heirloom Beauty

2009-08-06T08:55:00.004-04:00

When I was growing up, summer for our family meant tomato sandwiches. My grandmother had a garden for most of my childhood and my mother and sister and uncle would help her tend it while I watched TV game shows inside with Papa. I wasn't old enough to help, and he wasn't in good health. They would work and work and work and come in hot and tired with their bounty of vegetables, including big, red, juicy tomatoes. We'd eat a tomato sandwich for lunch and take some home with us, along with green beans, corn, and other veggies. Those tomatoes live in my memory as one of the staples of my childhood.

A few weeks ago, my daughter and I went to a small, organic farmer's market held weekly in our town. There we saw tomatoes of every size and color and shade: red, pink, orange, yellow, green. Little "chocolate" cherry tomatoes along with yellow cherry tomatoes that were shaped like tiny squashes. Small green ones for frying. And big beautiful heirlooms the size of my palm. The farmer spent several minutes explaining to us the characteristics of each color and type of tomato. Honestly, I had no idea there was such variety! My daughter and I bought two of the heirlooms, one green, a container of the cherries, and, because a pretty bouquet of pink and purple flowers.

I gave one heirloom to my parents because I knew they would fully appreciate it. When I sliced into ours, the juice and earthy smell were released and I was taken back to those summers of my childhood. Ahh...That was the best tomato sandwich I've had in 25 years.

Shakespeare

2009-07-29T06:39:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, we went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream with some friends. What a delight! It's been years since I studied Shakespeare, but it doesn't matter. The actors make the lines understandable by tone of voice and body language so even if you don't catch specifics, you understand the gist of what they're saying. The costumes and props at Georgia Shakespeare Company are always clever and the clown characters are hilarious. We laughed and laughed through the final scenes and have been repeating favorite lines to each other ever since.

At dinner afterward, my friend talked about the beauty of language, the gorgeous flow of Shakespeare's poetry over the audience. It made me think about what I've been reading in Luci Shaw's book about language and poetry and about the meditation on scripture that I've been doing. I want to fill the well, a term used by creativity book author Vinita Hampton Wright, with images from scripture so that when I write, the beauty of language, which God Himself created, flows over my audience as well.

Do you have favorite passages from a book, a poem, or scripture that flow over you? Please share it in a comment.

Beauty According to Luci Shaw

2009-07-22T07:27:00.006-04:00

I've been reading a fabulous book by poet Luci Shaw called Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination and Spirit: Reflections on Creativity and Faith. She speaks to all artists but particularly to writers and especially to me. I've underlined passages on almost every page. I have to share a few with you from her chapter on beauty.

"Beauty is integral, so deeply a part of who we are and what we enjoy that we may take it for granted. Even flawed or marred or distorted as a result of human depravity and failure, it is still visible in the fingerprints of the Creator on the natural world.

"Beauty is perhaps one of the few things that constantly calls us back to God, that reminds us of an ideal of goodness and vitality...Beauty is redemptive. It can motivate us to turn a corner, to pursue a new objective. It awakens us because it is often so surprising" (pp. 22-23).

"Yes, beauty matters. It is important to God. Why else would he shape and color fish, birds, insects, rocks, plants, and people with such rich diversity?" (p. 24).

Shaw also points out that while beauty is personal, it's also universal. All of us gasp at things like waterfalls, glaciers, the oceans, mountains, sunrises and sunsets. Last weekend, under bright sun and blue sky, my family and I drove on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, a highway that blends into the environment while providing access to five mountain ranges, six major rivers, two states, and four national forests. The Blue Ridge Parkway draws people from everywhere every year. On it, we can see "the fingerprints of the Creator", as Shaw says, whether we acknowledge Him or not. It is a road to--and through--beauty and, ultimately, if we follow where it leads, to God. I can't wait to go back.

Quotations to Share

2009-07-15T07:45:00.005-04:00

"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery."- H. G. Wells

"That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful." - Ninon de l'Eenclos, 1620 - 1705.

"Earth laughs in flower." Ralph Waldo Emerson

“People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it's simply necessary to love.” -Claude Monet

"Our truest life
is when we are in our dreams
Awake."

- Henry David Thoreau
(got this from Brenda Leyland's blog, It's a Beautiful Life)

The Other Journal: Aesthetics Issue

2009-07-08T07:16:00.002-04:00

I'm going to do something a little unusual for this blog and send you somewhere else. The Other Journal's current issue is devoted to aesthetics. I haven't finished exploring it yet but so far have found a lot of interesting essays. Take a look.

And many of you on are vacation and/or taking a break from your computers, but if you're around this week, please leave me a comment about one of your favorite beauty moments this summer.

Alaska Memories, Part 2

2009-07-01T08:19:00.008-04:00

Alaska is so beautiful, it's almost other-worldly. I spent a wonderful week there with some writing friends and found much material for writing. I posted a lot of it last week but here are a few other things:

--“termination dust”: the first bit of snowfall on the mountains, marking the end of the summer (although it's too early for that right now)

--the long strips or ribbons of snow on the mountains that reach ground level, with trash in and around the piles at the bottom: former avalanche sites

--the native women’s tunic made of cheery fabrics with a hood, a drop waist, and a big muff-like pocket in the middle

--the booth at the market with extremely soft scarves made out of Qiviut (pronounced "kiv-ee-ute"), the downy-soft underwool from the Arctic musk ox. Rare and expensive. We touched but didn't buy.

--favorite things to do by Alaskans: fishing, fishing, fishing! Plus camping, hunting, cross-country skiing, ski skating and other sports, the Iditarod, and fishing, fishing, fishing!

--Hurricane Gorge, just inside Denali National Forest, with the river running through it. Our view was from above and what a view it was.

--Talkeetna Lodge, where the view from the deck is breathtaking. It was sunny and clear that afternoon, so we could see Mt. McKinley and other mountains in the distance.

--wildflowers I had never seen

--beauty everywhere

I want to go back, as soon as I can.

Alaska Moments

2009-06-24T01:36:00.003-04:00

Here are a few of my favorite things about Alaska:

--Exit Glacier, which looked like a frozen waterfall
--the train ride with my friends through gorgeous scenery
--hanging out of said train with one of those friends
--the little shop in Talkeetna where I bought the pink hoodie that would keep me from freezing the rest of the trip
--the moose mother and her babies in the yard next door
--the never-ending light
--long car rides and long talks
--the husky in the house named Corduroy
--the mountains everywhere, with strips of snow adorning the sides and clouds veiling the peaks
--the mud flats where those two black bears caught their lunch
--the ocean so close by
--the quick trip "up the hill" and the view of Anchorage below
--the worship service with music provided by a native family
--exquisite native crafts in the gift shop
--the large fuchsia with its blooms spilling over the pot
--chocolate chocolate chocolate
--the lilacs and my friend's love for them
--my hostess' excitement at sharing her beautiful home and surroundings with us
--God's handiwork in creation and in my friends

Monet's Water Lilies

2009-06-17T12:36:00.003-04:00

You might have guessed by seeing the background of this blog and my website that Monet's Water Lilies series is important to me. In a week or two, my family and I are going to visit an exhibition of four of Monet's paintings from this series. All of the paintings are from the Museum of Modern Art in New York. My husband and I have already seen them at MoMA but we have to see them again and this time, our daughter will be with us. I'm very excited about this opportunity to stand in front of those paintings, which helped get me started on the path of pursuing art and beauty, with the two of them by my side. I will be sure to post about the experience.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share the link for the exhibition with you, which includes information from other sources about Monet, his paintings, and his gardens.

Which painting or artist is important to you? Has a painting or other work of art ever moved you? I'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment.

A Few Quotations about Art

2009-06-10T08:58:00.002-04:00

As you probably know, I love quotations, and I post them often on this blog and my Christians in the Arts blog. Today I'm thinking about beauty in art and wanted to share these thoughts with you:

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better.
--Andre Gide

We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts.
--Madeleine L'Engle

All writing is a form of prayer.
--John Keats

A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language.
--W.H. Auden

I write with intensity, discipline and constancy, because this is the work that calls me, the vocation of my heart.
--bell hooks

Personal essayists converse with the reader because they're already having dialogues and disputes with themselves.
--Phillip Lopate

Never lose a holy curiosity.
--Albert Einstein

Strawberry Pickin'

2009-06-03T08:13:00.003-04:00

I love strawberries, and so does my family. Last Friday, my parents, my daughter, and I went strawberry pickin' at a farm near my parents' house. My folks had gone with my sister and her girls the week before and she had brought home big bags of berries. I wanted to go too--not just for the spoils but for the experience. My daughter and I have never picked our own strawberries before, and I wanted the two of us to have that memory with her grandparents.

The rows of strawberry plants went on and on. We chose two rows at random and started. Those first few berries, hidden under the leaves of the plants, were small, red, and perfect. I was surprised somehow. They weren't the huge, mutant-looking things we usually find at the grocery store. We worked our way down rows next to each other and then spread out a bit when we realized the berries in that area had been picked over. After about 30 minutes, my daughter started asking how much longer it would be. She reminded me of myself at her age. Whenever we gardened--whether at my grandparents' house or at our friends' place--I couldn't wait to go inside or go home.

Fortunately, before long, we had two large bucketsful of ripe red berries. As we went inside the building to pay for them, we passed a long bench full of kids under seven stuffing berries into their mouths with sticky fingers and sporting red-stained smiles. On the way home, the sweet fragrance of the strawberries wafted through the car, reminding me of a day well spent with my parents and my daughter, doing a little bit of labor for a lot of goodness. Making me grateful, yet again, for the beauty and variety and provision of creation.

Favorite Pieces

2009-05-27T10:23:00.002-04:00

To enjoy beauty, you have to be aware of it, and that's one of the purposes of this blog--to build awareness about beauty. We so often walk right by beauty without noticing it, especially if it's part of our everyday landscape. Today, to wake myself up, I thought I'd list just a few of my favorite items of beauty in my house:

* the "jar of clay" painting we bought on our first anniversary trip
* the multi-colored glass bowl he gave me for my birthday
* the "Narnia" painted door
* the purple frosted glass water bottle with the delicately-turned lip
* the tall vase with the Raku finish

Now, what about you? Leave a comment listing or describing some of your favorite items of beauty in your home. Look around before you do so and enjoy your things again.

Gold and Gems

2009-05-20T08:05:00.006-04:00

Last week, I went on a field trip with my daughter's class to the largest hardrock gold mine east of the Mississippi River, the site of America's first gold rush. During the excavation period in the late 1800s, approximately 4,000 tons of dirt, debris and ore were removed from the tunnel system. During the tour, our guide talked about the geology of the gold belt, including quartz and pyrite formations, where early miners found gold.

Before we took the underground tour, though, we did some gold panning and gem grubbing. My favorite was the gem grubbing, which involves taking a wooden box with a mesh bottom, filling it with sand, and dunking it into a stream of running water. As the sand washes away, it leaves gems behind. Apparently it's possible to find emeralds, rubies, and sapphires but I didn't wash up any. I did walk away with a bag full of colorful gems, though, including quartz, adventurine, sodalite, carnelian, citrine, blue calcite, a desert rose, a chunk of fool’s gold, and more. When she panned for gold, my daughter found nine pieces, the most of anyone in her class but unfortunately not enough to make a dent in her college fund.

My gems now sit in a small mason jar on my desk to remind me of a fun day with my daughter and my early fascination with rocks and geology. We're planning to go back and take my husband with us. Maybe next time we'll strike it rich.

Why Beauty?

2009-05-13T09:46:00.002-04:00

I try to seek out beauty wherever and whenever I can, and I want to help other people do that too. Click here to go to one of my first posts, which explains why. May your eyes be opened to the beauty around you. Thanks for reading.

To Openness

2009-05-06T15:43:00.003-04:00

So much escapes our notice. So much depends on our openness--openness to God and to the beauty He has created. I like this quote and thought you might too.

"There is ecstasy in paying attention. You can get into a kind of Wordsworthian openness to the world, where you see in everything the essence of holiness, a sign that God is implicit in all of creation." Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

The Hope of Beauty

2009-04-29T16:42:00.001-04:00

“This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair. Beauty, like truth, brings joy to the human heart.” Pope John Paul II, “Letter to Artists,” Easter Sunday, 1999.

We are living in challenging times. Bad news seems to be all we hear and many of us are experiencing financial troubles, job loss, major illnesses, and other crises. When bad things happen to us or our families, what do we do? We focus on our circumstances.

But the Bible tells us in Hebrews to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” and to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.” Hope is defined in the dictionary as “to look forward to with confidence or expectation. To expect and desire.” We have confidence in God, the Creator of the universe (Who is bigger than our circumstances) and we have confidence in our salvation through Christ’s death and resurrection.

Years ago, I went through a difficult time. But as God was comforting me and reminding me that He was my help, He also gradually opened my eyes to beauty. I began to see it everywhere: in my home, in my baby girl’s face, in art, creation, music, words. Beauty had been there all along while I was struggling but I didn’t see it, didn’t fully appreciate it. When my eyes were opened to it, beauty reminded me of God, reminded me that Jesus was my hope, and it made me worship Him--my Creator, my Savior--even more.

Beauty can pull you out of yourself and put your focus on the Creator, who can comfort and soothe your aching heart. It can remind you of the hope you have in Jesus if you have committed your life to Him. And in spite of what’s going on in the world around you, you can know that because you are His, you have hope not only for the future in heaven but for life right now.

Beauty Sleep

2009-04-21T21:32:00.008-04:00

I wrote this last night and then forgot to post it. Proof of how tired I was...

It's late. It's been a long day. My dog is snoozing at my feet and she looks so comfortable. Tomorrow will be a busy day; I'm preparing to speak at a ladies' retreat on Saturday. The topic? The beauty around us.

As I sit here thinking through so many moments of beauty I've experienced and written about, I don't know if I've ever written about nighttime. Moonlight, yes, but darkness? No. The truth is, I don't often walk outside at night. We have coyotes in our neighborhood and, now that the weather is warming up, the snakes will be out as well. While it's true that coyotes and snakes have a certain beauty, I have no desire to meet either one in the dark (or even in the noonday sun).

But there are so many things I like about nighttime:
1. quiet
2. rest and rejuvenation
3. relief
4. reading (a ritual before "lights out")
5. pajamas
6. cool sheets in the summer, thick comforter in the winter
7. the gentle whirr of the ceiling fan
8. the end of the day
9. checking on my daughter while she's asleep
10. the art in our bedroom (the mixed media pieces over the dresser and the bed, the pencil drawing of my ballerina done by a friend, the metal cross sculpture)
11. the vintage furniture (Grandmother's chair and chiffarobe, a cedar chest, a lady's writing desk, an armchair I rescued and refurbished)
12. and last but not least by any means--my husband

But maybe the thing that's the most important is knowing that tomorrow is a new day. I'm not quoting Scarlett here but paraphrasing the Bible, Lamentations 3:23 to be exact: "God's compassions [mercies] are new every morning." Knowing that I can start over with Him every day--now that gives me sweet dreams, and, I guess you could say, true beauty sleep.

Birth

2009-04-15T13:50:00.005-04:00

Two very special babies were born yesterday. This morning in my inbox I found photos of their little pink faces, their heads covered in blue and pink newborn caps. The mothers look exhausted but still radiant somehow, the fathers look proud, everyone is all smiles. Tiny hands that grasp Grandpa's finger, eyes that see (however dimly at first), ears that know their parents' voices, lungs that now capture and release air, hearts that pump lifeblood throughout the tiny bodies.

Babies are born every day, every minute even. Yet each one is precious--a miracle. Each one is wrought by the very hands of God.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (Psalm 139:13-14).

Amazing.

The Beauty of the Cross

2009-04-08T09:32:00.004-04:00

The azaleas, dogwoods, cherry trees, and more have been putting on a show the past couple of weeks. And then surprise! The last few days, we've had below freezing temps and even snow flurries yesterday. It's going to start warming up, but I don't see how the flowers can make it. It makes me sad.

But what's uppermost in my mind is Holy Week. Several years ago, Cindy Morgan, I think, recorded a song called "The Beauty of the Cross." What an oxymoron! I thought, when I first heard it. How could something so horrible, so devastating be beautiful? But then I thought about the sacrifice made for me there--Jesus' perfect life given over in death to cancel out the death in me and give me new life.

How could it be? How could it be that He would do that for me? Last year, I explored this issue in an article about the cross for The Lookout magazine. If you'd like, you can read it here.

May this Easter weekend be special and meaningful for you, and may the beauty of the cross fill you with gratitude and wonder.

Beauty and the Word

2009-04-01T07:57:00.006-04:00

I came across something last week that I found beautiful. It combines the beauty of the Word with the art of calligraphy and painting. It takes the timely and timeless and adds a new dimension of beauty to it. It's called The Saint John's Bible. It's a hand-written Bible--the first one since the invention of the printing press. And it's gorgeous.

The website says this:

In the Middle Ages, monasteries helped preserve knowledge and culture for the sake of the greater community. By commissioning a handwritten Bible, Saint John's revives a tradition and affirms its commitment to the study of scripture, to the book arts and to educational, artistic and spiritual pursuits.

The website says this:

At the dawn of the 21st century, Saint John's Abbey and University seek to ignite the spiritual imagination of believers throughout the world by commissioning a work of art that illuminates the Word of God for a new millennium.

And this:

In the 8th Century, near what are now Scotland and England, Benedictine monastic scribes created a Bible that today is one of the longest surviving monumental manuscripts in the Western world.

Nearly 1,300 years later, renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson approached the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s University and Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, with his life-long dream: to create the first handwritten, illuminated bible commissioned since the invention of the printing press. The Saint John’s Bible uses ancient materials and techniques to create a contemporary masterpiece that brings the Word of God to life for the contemporary world.

Go see it for yourself.

Becoming Part of Beauty

2009-03-25T12:59:00.004-04:00

“We do not merely want to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words—to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.” C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Have you ever wanted to be united with beauty? I have felt that way watching a sunset on a summer night, riding on a train through the Swiss Alps, wandering through gardens in full and fragrant bloom, feeling the cool mist from a waterfall on my face, gazing at a painting that beckoned me to step into the canvas. Many times, I have wanted to bathe in beauty and become part of it.

This quote is one of my absolute favorites of C.S. Lewis. In fact Lewis' writing about beauty, as well as my own experiences, led me to write about it myself. This blog is one avenue I’m using to articulate what I believe is everyone’s desire for beauty. If you have an experience with beauty that you’d like to share, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment or email me at contact@leannebenfieldmartin.com.

Beauty Quotes

2009-03-19T07:42:00.002-04:00

Enjoy!

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting--a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears." -- Edgar Allen Poe

"Creativity is not restricted to the arts. Creativity is an approach to living life." --Alyce Cornyn-Selby

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." --Rachel Carson

"There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish." -- Warren G. Bennis

This New Path

2009-03-10T16:49:00.011-04:00

Last week I wrote about the gorgeous snowfall we had. This week we've had three or four days of spring-like temperatures. The blossoms on the cherry and pear trees are coming out. The dogwoods in the back yard are budding. Daffodils are popping up everywhere. I have a confirmed case of spring fever.

I remember a few years ago another spring-like day. This one was long-awaited, not because of the weather but because of the occasion. I wore a gorgeous long dress covered with pearls and carried beautiful flowers in purples and blues. My daughter looked like a tiny fairy princess in pink georgette, her small white basket of matching flowers trailing white ribbons. On my father's arm, I floated down the steps to a favorite selection from Edward Elgar's "Enigma." After kissing my parents and my daughter, I went to meet my groom at the front--not of a church but of a theater we both loved. I could not believe that it was actually happening, that God had brought me and this man together. The scripture that was read, the songs sung, the readings shared, were all intended to celebrate and worship God and His love for us as well as our love for each other. It was a beautiful day.

I write about my wedding every year on this or my other blog, Christians in the Arts, because it was art-filled and beauty-filled. And because my husband and I still are amazed and so grateful that we are walking this new path together.

Snow!

2009-03-03T20:29:00.004-05:00

On Sunday morning, we were sitting in our worship service listening to one of our elders systemically and sensitively build a case for faith. He was talking about intelligent design and laying out, one by one, pieces of evidence for intelligent design, for a Creator. I heard someone murmuring behind us but didn't hear what he said. The friend sitting next to me leaned over and said, "It's snowing!" I looked through the huge window that runs the length of our church and there they were: big fluffy flakes falling quickly through the trees on that side of the building. It was a stunning sight.

My daughter would be so excited. I was excited! We don't get much snow in our area so when it's a possibility, I always hold my breath like a little kid, especially now that I'm a parent.

Turning my attention back to the message, I smiled when I realized the elder was talking about the cells in our bodies with their intricate DNA, the length of which blew my mind. God created even the tiniest parts of our bodies, the stars in our vast universe, and snowflakes, too, each one of which is said to be different from all the others. It was a God moment for me.

Later, in our hats and gloves and layers, my daughter and I romped in our front yard while my husband snapped some photos. Our dog was confused and uncertain about the white stuff on the ground, but my daughter was having a blast. She and I stayed out in the cold for as long as we could, hurling snowballs, packing a small snow mountain (our version of a snowman), writing our initials in undisturbed snow. She made a snow angel, too, and my husband took a picture. The shot reminds me of one I took during the snowfall in 2004. The snow angel she made was much smaller, and our snowman was a snow dwarf so tiny it didn't show up in the photo. The hat, coat, and gloves she wore were different then, too, but her smile was the same as on Sunday: wide, dimply, and carefree. It was a God moment. A Designer moment.

The Dance

2009-02-24T20:46:00.008-05:00

On Sunday, our church launched a new arts series. The service had almost every type of fine art represented, including dance. Two wonderful dancers, who are also my friends, performed to a song called "Perfume." They use their bodies to praise and worship God, the Creator of the human body. Each of them have been dancing their whole lives. One of my favorite things about seeing them dance is they smile throughout the performance. The beauty of the dance given in worship, along with the beauty of their smiles, add a special and meaningful element to the service every time.

My daughter took dance when she was in preschool. She and her fellow ballerinas were so cute in their tutus, it was almost painful--I knew those precious moments would not last forever. And they didn't, of course. She quit dance at the end of pre-K.

At our house now, dance involves the two of us boogie-ing to her music in her room and an occasional freestyle shuffle/tango that ends with me dipping her in the finale. Which reminds me, we haven't done that in a while. I'm going to suggest it after school today. After all, moments like that will not last forever.

Marking Grief

2009-02-17T16:47:00.008-05:00

Just a quick note to say thank you to Peg Phifer over at Writer to Reader for the special recognition award for Beauty and the Beholder. Here's what she says:

I try to find unique content that touches me, blesses me, or even challenges me. Yours was a warm and inviting place to spend a few minutes. Thank you for that.

You can read the feature here.

The other day, my friend, Nancy Ring, had an interesting post on her blog, Anchors, Signposts, and Wanderings, about creative ways to mark grief. She asked: "Is there a loss in your life that you would like to honor by creating something? What would you create?"

This is not something I created, but it's a created thing that I shared. At each house where I've lived, I've planted a tree in memory of my first baby and in honor of my second baby, who is now nine years old. It's a wonderful feeling to plant and nurture a beautiful thing for such a purpose--reminders of how precious life is and what a gift our loves ones are.

The first trees were pink cherries. The second pair at the second house were pink dogwoods. They were all beautiful and they bloomed early, reminding me that winter was over and spring was arriving. An ongoing metaphor for my life at the time.

I haven't planted trees at our current house yet, because we want to make a landscape plan first. We will do it, though. Maybe this year?

The Beauty of the Moon

2009-02-11T07:51:00.009-05:00

The last few weeks, the sun has been rising a little earlier, so when we leave the house for school, there's a bit of light to guide us. Yesterday, as we drove down our street, we saw the moon big and full just ahead. It had a haze around it, which reminded me of the fog a couple of weeks ago. It was so beautiful. I don't tend to think about the moon until I see it, but if it weren't there, I would miss it.

The beauty and mystery of the moon have inspired many people to write songs about it, or about love under the moon, or a longing for love under the moon, or even "I have nobody except the moon." Songs like "Blue Moon," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Dancin' in the Moonlight," "Carolina Moon," "Moon River and Me", "Moonlight and Roses." These songs make me think of romance, and of Valentine's Day on Saturday.

Then there's "Fly Me to the Moon," which makes me think of The Flintstones, where I first heard Fred sing the song to Wilma. Now that was romantic.

For fun, I looked up some quotes about the moon and of course there are scores of them. Here are a few favorites:

“I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it.” Albert Einstein

“See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...we need silence to be able to touch souls.” Mother Teresa of Calcutta

“Beauty is a form of genius - is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation. It is of the great facts in the world like sunlight, or springtime, or the reflection in dark water of that silver shell we call the moon.” Oscar Wilde

“When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator.” Mahatma Gandhi

“The moon, like a flower
In heaven's high bower,
With silent delight
Sits and smiles on the night.” William Blake

And finally, a blessing for you: “May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and a smooth road all the way to your door.” Irish Blessing

25 Random Memories of Beauty

2009-02-02T20:23:00.016-05:00

I'm posting a little early this week. I had lots of fun pulling this together. Hope you enjoy reading it.

Here's a list of 25 random memories of beauty that I love:

1. daily sunrise over the trees outside my bedroom window
2. that memorable sunset one summer night at my old house that had the best view in the neighborhood
3. my dog sailing through the air, her ball in her mouth
4. the view of the Alps from the first-class train in Switzerland
5. strolling the gardens at CS Lewis' home, The Kilns, in England with my husband, who loves Lewis as much as I do
6. my first deer sighting: the baby that stood silhouetted in front of my subdivision sign, surrounded by yummy pansies
7. the cheesecake last Friday night; the "braided" white and milk chocolate sauce was art on the plate (it tasted fabulous too)
8. the moments in front of Monet's Water Lilies that started my pursuit of art and beauty
9. the blue and purple hydrangea blossoms on the tables at my friend's July wedding; she was beautiful too
10. Handel's Messiah performances
11. the redwoods, tall and majestic
12. the wild sea at Carmel
13. the desolation and the promise of Mt. St. Helens
14. the surprise snowfall last January that actually stuck around for a few days
15. the orchid house at the botanical gardens
16. our wedding
17. butterflies as big as my hand landing on our butterfly bushes
18. the pink cherry and dogwood trees I planted for my babies
19. the large, vibrant Jar of Clay painting we bought for our 1st anniversary
20. the pears painting too
21. the Oxford Symphony Orchestra performing classical favorites
22. last year's performance of Cotton Patch Gospel at Theatrical Outfit
23. this line from Big River, the musical based on Huck Finn: "considerable joy, considerable sorrow"
24. the wild rose vine in the dogwood tree down the street from my parents' home
25. favorite books read and re-read like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

What are some of your favorite memories of beauty? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Fog

2009-01-28T07:29:00.005-05:00

Through sleep-filled eyes, I tuned in to the day's weather forecast. The forecaster said, "There's a lot of fog out there. Fog is basically a cloud on the ground." A cloud on the ground? There's a poem in there somewhere, I thought, yawning as the dog and I ambled to the kitchen, both of us hungry for breakfast.

When my daughter and I left the house, the air was heavy with the fog. Beautiful but dangerous, especially in the dark. The sun had not yet risen, so I drove slowly, acutely aware of the deer and other creatures in the area, not to mention children on their way to the bus stop. The beams from the headlights seemed solid enough to cut through the wet air while somehow bouncing back at us at the same time. As we rode through the neighborhoods on the way to school, street lights, stop lights, and house lights put off a hazy glow as though they were wrapped in spider webs, wet cocoons that softened and diffused the light.

While I was gone, a friend emailed me Carl Sandburg's poem, Fog. And by the time I read it, the fog had just about moved on. But not before I had thought, there really is a poem in there somewhere, and made a note to myself to push through the fog of everydayness until I find it.

Premio Dardas Award

2009-01-21T12:35:00.006-05:00

My blog has been awarded the "Premio-Dardas" Award today by Brenda Leyland of It's A Beautiful Life. I'm flattered! Here's what Brenda says about it:

"This award 'acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write.'

Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It's a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.

I understand this award comes with a couple of rules, and they are:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted it to you, along with his/her blog link.

2. Pass the award to (15) other blogs that you feel are worthy of this recognition. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen as recipients.

*Please note: when copying the award picture, please download it to your own computer first and upload from there to your own blog site. I understand you could unwittingly use up other people's band width. Anyone know for sure if that's the case?"

Like Brenda, I find my time limited today more than usual (I don't have my regular post up yet!) so I'm going to keep this list short. I'm passing the award along to these bloggers:

Crystal Miller of Chat n Chew Cafe

Nancy Ring of Anchors, Signposts & Wanderings

Terry Whalin of The Writing Life

Bonnie Bruno of Macro Moments

The marvelous team at Books & Such blog

and at Novel Matters

Thanks, Brenda, for passing the "Premio Dardas" to me.

Words to Read Aloud

2009-01-13T21:05:00.006-05:00

For a while now, I've been reading scripture aloud to a sick friend. She's not always awake when I read, but I believe that the words comfort her anyway, that they soak into her heart and mind and soothe her. It's the Word of God. How could it not reach her in some way?

As I'm reading the passages, I'm thinking about her life, her journey thus far, and the lengthy path she has ahead of her to recovery. I'm thinking about dark times in my own life, about loss, about suffering. I'm thinking about the hope she and I have in Christ--hope for today and for always.

Sometimes I read Psalm 104 to her. It's one of my favorites because it reminds me that He is bigger than sickness and sadness and suffering. He is the Creator of the universe--and of us, too. He is the Author of beauty, and His work stuns us with His glory.

Here it is. Read it aloud, and see if your circumstances suddenly seem smaller.

Psalm 104

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.

4 He makes winds his messengers, [a]
flames of fire his servants.

5 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.

7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.

9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.

11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.

13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:

15 wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains his heart.

16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17 There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the pine trees.

18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys. [b]

19 The moon marks off the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.

20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

21 The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.

22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.

23 Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening.

24 How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.

26 There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 These all look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.

28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.

29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.

30 When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works-

32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.

35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD. [c]

The Beauty of Order

2009-01-06T21:37:00.005-05:00

With the new year, I'm celebrating the beauty of order. I'm taking a clue from the order that appears in creation and trying to transfer that to my office. I'm well on my way but still have some things to deal with. In the meantime, I'm enjoying an empty floor, margin around my computer, and the now visible wood grain of two vintage tables that serve as my desk. You wouldn't know it to see my office on an average day but clutter drives me crazy. I'm good about "editing" clutter from other rooms but my office can get out of control at times. When it does, I put my blinders on and look only at my screen or out my office window to the view of the woods below. For the last several days, I've seen a male cardinal come and go to a certain spot in the brush, strikingly red against the browns and dull greys of the trees and shrubs. He reminds me that creation is filled with order. He, or rather His creator, inspires me to invite some of that order into my office and other areas of my life as well. And this new year is the perfect time to do that.

New Year's Eve

2009-01-01T13:26:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! And may 2009 be filled with moments of beauty and wonder for you.

The Beauty of Christmas

2008-12-24T23:14:00.001-05:00

A few months ago in early fall I wrote an article about Christmas. My assignment was to explore what the birth of Christ might have meant to God the Father. I approached it at first with trepidation. How could I begin to fathom what giving His only Son to us cost Him? The scripture "His thoughts are higher than our thoughts" kept coming to mind. Humbling though it was, I enjoyed the experience very much. I used Handel's Messiah and the prophecies referenced in that wonderful work as my framework. If you'd like to read the article, click here.

Thank you for reading this blog. Merry Christmas!

Beauty in Architecture

2008-12-16T12:29:00.007-05:00

This week on my arts blog I'm featuring Dr. Jane Paradise Wolford, who seeks to "enlighten the public about the transformational potential of architecture." She has a Doctorate in Architecture (in History, Theory, and Criticism) from the Georgia Institute of Technology in addition to her Masters degree in Architectural History from Georgia Tech. She has some interesting things to say about beauty and design. I had to share them with you.

Jane says, "I think architecture reveals a lot about God’s role as Architect and Builder (Hebrews 11:10). In the Old Testament he gave very specific instructions to Moses (Exodus 26), David (1 Chron. 28:11-19), and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 40) about the construction of his places of worship --- from the choice of the builder down to the smallest details ---- design mattered to Him.

"God is also concerned with beautiful design in his creation of nature everywhere. Oceans, mountains, trees, plants, flowers, etc. point to God’s wondrous sense of design – and we haven’t even touched upon his marvelous creation of the human body. All his creations (disclaimer --- as he created them) are not only magnificently beautiful, but are awe-inspiring. The colors of vegetation and natural landscape features such as mountains or oceans both complement and contrast each other in color, texture, structure, and a multitude of other qualities. But dissonance and ugliness are not qualities of God’s creations in their pristine state. Only man’s fallen nature interjected these ugly realities into his earthly paradise. Peace, Joy, Harmony, Beauty, and Order were subservient to the promptings of man’s will after the fall. In our imperfect nature beauty can be stumbled upon every now and again --- but it is not the norm. This is what the study of architecture can teach us about ourselves – we crave balance, stability, order and beauty. Good architecture can speak to these needs."

What are some of your favorite buildings or styles of architecture? I'd love to know.

The Happy Tree

2008-12-10T09:52:00.004-05:00

Our region has been in a drought for quite some time. Today beautiful, life-giving, thirst-drenching rain is falling steadily. I love the sound of the rain falling through the trees onto the curled-up leaves on the ground.

Inside, the Christmas tree is brightly lit and adorned from top to bottom with ornaments. My favorites include anything my daughter made, formal glass and crystal shapes, and funky folk art dogs and reindeer. I also like the purple and royal blue plastic balls that hang everywhere. Tiny white lights provide background blink. Ours is a happy tree--something I really seem to need this year.

Today I'm grateful for so much beauty in my life--the rain, the woods outside, the happy tree inside, the crazy canine at my feet, my beloved husband and daughter, family and friends, and above all the Christ whose birth we celebrate. What are you grateful for?

Wonderfully Made

2008-12-03T06:54:00.005-05:00

For my friend Eileen, who is very sick, and for you and for me, too. The beauty of a personal God.

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.

"You have hemmed me in--behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

"Where can I go from your Spirit?
where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make me bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake, I am still with you.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:1-10, 13-18, 23-24

In Sickness

2008-11-26T07:55:00.003-05:00

My friend Eileen is lying in the hospital this morning, very very sick. Two years ago, another friend named Julie--a regular reader of this blog-- was also very sick and spent part of the holidays in the hospital, too. Today I'm filled with thanks that Eileen is still with us, at least for now, and that Julie has recovered fully and is now the mother of a beautiful little boy.

Julie sent me an email several months ago about the beauty she found even in her hospital room. I'm going to share it below. Hug your family and friends close this Thanksgiving, and let the beauty around you remind you of all there is to thank God for.

"The first time I had an extended stay in a hospital bed was at the end
of October 2006. The hospital was brand new and I had a large private
room with a large window. The view inside was clean and nice. The
hospital sits in the middle of a business and shopping district but from
my 4th story window the only thing I could see was a patch of trees
wearing the most vibrant Autumn colors. I remember staring out the
window for hours taking in the extraordinary colors of God's creation.
I don't think a trip to the Mountains would have given me a more
beautiful display of the season.

"A few weeks later I again was in the
hospital this time for a much longer stay, in a more serious condition,
and in the middle of the Christmas Holiday. This time my room was small
and the view was that of a parking lot and a highway. The weather
seemed to be overcast and dark everyday. I missed the view of the
beautiful trees but I found plenty of beauty inside those 4 walls. The
love of God expressed in the form of family and friends who brought such
comfort and joy both in the hospital and during my long recovery at
home. I found beauty in the medical staff who so carefully cleaned and wrapped
wounds that were so ugly I was unable to look upon them myself. I found
beauty in the feel of the breeze on my face after being inside in a bed
for more than 2 weeks. I now try to remember how many things there are
in everyday life that are beautiful and I try to stop and appreciate
them, and thank God for them."

Four-Legged Beauty

2008-11-19T06:19:00.004-05:00

One type of beauty in my life has four legs and fur. My dog is a black Lab/shepherd mix, which means her ears stand at attention and her gorgeous face is a Lab's. Dark brown eyes, a little patch of white on her chest, and a heart that desperately wants to please. When she's running, she's a streak of black grace. She jumps the five deck stairs with ease and can pull to a stop in front of the door in two seconds flat. She bounces from side to side in the air when she's playing or contemplating a treat. She makes us laugh.

Dogs have been on my mind the last few weeks for a number of reasons: I'm working on an article about them; we lost our oldest Lab a year ago this month; we're thinking of getting a new buddy for our current one. We've been working with a local and very good Lab rescue to find the perfect new addition to our home. Each dog they're adopting has his or her picture on the website. Talk about beauty--face after gorgeous face in assorted colors. They look similar, of course, at first glance, but they are all different. One little guy has the head of a Lab on the body of a basset hound. Another one has a blue eye and a brown eye. A third has two pale blue eyes set in almost white fur. Arresting.

I'm a Lab lover from way back. I love their big hearts, outgoing personalities, and friendly faces. When I look at my dog, I think, Wow, God, look at her! Look at what you made. It's very good. Thank you.

And Now A Word from You...

2008-11-12T13:32:00.003-05:00

My daughter is home sick from school today and I don't feel that good myself so I'd like to hear from you. Please leave me a comment or email me about any of these topics:

--a special experience you had with beauty

--your favorite type of beauty (visual arts, music, literature, creation, etc.) and why

--a quotation about beauty

I would love to hear from you.

Sculpture in Motion at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

2008-11-05T06:41:00.003-05:00

Last week on a crisp, sunny day, I went to see a unique art exhibition at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The gardens are always a delight and the visiting exhibition added an extra level of form and beauty. I wrote about it on my arts blog if you'd like to know more.

Wherever you are today, look for and enjoy the beauty around you.

Dallas Kinney: A Closer Look

2008-10-29T12:52:00.000-04:00

You may have wondered why I never include photographs on this blog. After all, wouldn't a blog about beauty be better served by photos than words? I don't think so. First, I write about types of beauty that are not visual so a photo wouldn't help. And when I do write about visual beauty, I want to create images with my words. I want readers to use their imagination to do a bit of work for that bit of beauty.

All that said, today I'm going to make an exception and share a link to some exquisite photographs of creation taken by Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer, Dallas Kinney. Dallas' work always slows me down for a closer look. Check it out. I believe you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

Picking Flowers in the Fall

2008-10-23T08:38:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I was out of town with my daughter (which is why I'm just posting today). When we came home, we took our dog for a walk. It was another warm, beautiful fall day--I know I'm going to miss these days when the weather turns cold. As we neared the house, I told my daughter I wanted to show her something. After putting our dog in the house and grabbing some old kitchen shears, we trudged through crunchy leaves in the front yard. Extremely wide, our front yard curves out toward the street so that when you're in the driveway you can't see where the lawn ends. But you can see what's growing there.

Looking at the scissors in my hand, she asked, "Are we going to pick flowers?" I nodded as we walked toward the large camellia tree that we tend to forget about until it blooms in the fall and late winter. And boy is it putting on a show right now! It's absolutely covered with blooms and with buds that will soon be ready. Dark, waxy leaves highlight the delicate white flowers with tinges of pink on the petals.

When the camellia blooms again in the winter, I will ask the same rhetorical question I always ask: how can a flower so fragile survive such cold weather? It looks like it belongs to April or May, yet I'm glad it doesn't wait until then. Seeing its beauty in the dead of winter heartens me. It reminds me that spring is coming--not right away but soon enough.

My daughter and I chose a few flowers and snipped them off. She was surprised to see the petals of the mature ones falling even as we gathered them, so we picked buds that look like they open in a day or two. I hope they do. With pumpkins, mums, and fall leaves ruling outdoors this time of year, it's nice to have fragile-looking, spring-like beauty inside.

Quotes about Creation

2008-10-15T07:17:00.005-04:00

I'm running late this morning so I thought I'd share with you some quotes about beauty in creation that I found the other day.

"All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within." Horace Friess

"Flowers are words which even a baby can understand." Quentin Crisp

"Where flowers bloom so does hope." Lady Bird Johnson

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly." Richard Bach

"A butterfly lands where it pleases and pleases where it lands." Anonymous

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song." Chinese proverb

"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer." Gertrude Jekyll

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." Roger Caras

"How kind you were to open the gates of heaven and give me that little glimpse of Paradise." From an 18th-Century letter

What are some of your favorite quotes about beauty? I'd love to know. Please leave me a comment.

The Fragrance of Fall

2008-10-07T20:47:00.015-04:00

Today as we were walking the dog, a light breeze blew across my face, bringing with it the scent of fall. It's a crisp but smoky smell, even when there's no fire. It's so different from the scent of the other seasons. It says, "Change is coming!"

The sense of smell is not one we typically think of as a conduit for beauty. But certain fragrances call to my mind memories of beauty from the past.

For instance, a few years ago, I visited a centuries-old church while on vacation. The smell of the burning candles followed me to every corner of that building. As I looked at the historic frescoes and the architecture, the fragrance of the candles deepened the experience for me. I can smell them now.

Another fragrance that calls to mind an experience of beauty was the flowers in my wedding bouquet. Stargazer lilies, purple stock, delphiniums, blue iris, and seafoam statice with a purple ribbon made a breathtaking arrangement. As I held the gorgeous bouquet in my hand, the fragrance accompanied me throughout the most beautiful day of my life. Whenever I'm near a stargazer now, the scent takes me back to that day.

Now, as fall continues to unfold and the leaves curl and come down, my daughter will soon remind me about one of her favorite things to do. Last year, on a warm fall afternoon, we raked a huge pile of leaves in the front yard and jumped in them. We hopped in and kicked, and threw leaves at each other. I took several photos of her but of course the camera couldn't capture the fragrance in the air. But some aspects of beauty simply can't be captured. Beauty has to be enjoyed in the moment, treasured and remembered for years to come.

The Beauty of Theater

2008-10-01T07:44:00.006-04:00

On Sunday afternoon I saw a show filled with moments of beauty, and I've been thinking about the story and singing the music ever since. Here's more.

Messages of Love

2008-09-23T21:54:00.005-04:00

My husband has a knack for picking out the best cards, whether for my birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas, whatever. Usually the card has a visual element that makes it special--a die cut heart or a small handmade collage or my favorite colors. What I like best are the handwritten notes that he adds at the bottom. My first Mother's Day card from him remains a favorite because he wrote a sentence or two about why he thinks I'm a good mother. I really needed to hear that from him then as we were learning how to be newlyweds with a five-year-old in the house.

Through the years, my daughter has given me many notes to treasure as well. One that she made in art camp as a kindergartner rests in the stand-up file tray on my desk. It's a pastel picture of a sunset across the sea, complete with a desert isle and a palm tree. In the colorful sky, she wrote: "Mama, you take good care of me!"

When I get a note that's meaningful, I keep it out or keep it accessible so I can pull it out whenever I want to see it. Re-reading those messages of love or encouragement lifts my spirits again. It's just for a moment, but a life of beauty is made up of little moments of beauty. And I want as many of those moments as possible.

The Word

2008-09-17T06:41:00.002-04:00

The beauty of the written Word. Familiar, well-loved scripture filled with metaphors that become richer every year. Here are two of my favorite poetry passages:

"You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and

clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and

not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give you

thanks forever" (Psalm 30:11-12).

"He tends his flock like a shepherd;

He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

he gently leads those that have young" (Isaiah 40:11).

This week, reread your favorite passage--for the beauty of it.

Music That Inspires

2008-09-09T20:14:00.006-04:00

I'm listening to Handel's Messiah. I don't usually listen to music when I'm writing because I'm easily distracted. I like to sing, hum, and even dance sometimes, and I don't get much work done. I've been singing along to Messiah, though, and boy, are those soprano notes high! I can still hit them but occasionally it sounds like...well, it sounds like shrieking. When my dog's ears start twitching, I stop.

I can hardly keep from singing, though. The music is gorgeous and so familiar--my concert choir sang the Christmas portion of Messiah every year in high school. To me, that was the highlight of the season.

So why am I listening to Christmas music when it's only September? I'm writing an article and Handel's genius is inspiring me. I should be working on that article right now but I wanted to take a minute to ask you this: What music inspires you? Do you have a favorite piece from your past that you haven't listened to lately? Pull it out and turn it up. See where it takes you. And leave a comment later.

Oh, "For Unto Us a Child is Born" just came on! I've got to go. Enjoy the beauty of music today.

Looking for Beauty

2008-09-03T07:29:00.004-04:00

I love this quote:

"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing." Camille Pissaro

This week, look for beauty in humble places and then please leave a comment about what you find. I would love to know about it.

Rain

2008-08-26T21:22:00.007-04:00

Our area has struggled from the lack of rain these past few years. The drought has been severe. This year, however, we've had just enough rainfall to allow us to water our flowers every other day (and it could be much worse.) One day last week, I forgot about watering, and the petunias looked as thought they would never make it back to their former glory.

This week, Tropical Storm Fay has sent us quite a bit of rain. It has fallen steadily for two days. On Monday, my daughter and I made a quick trip to the grocery store. As we pulled into the parking lot, the clouds opened up. We dug around inside the car for umbrellas. So armed, we stepped out of the car and sloshed into the biggest puddle I've ever seen. The water washed over my flip flops, soaking my feet and making it difficult to walk without slipping. I was grateful for the rain but grumpy to be paddling in it.

Earlier in the summer, my softball team stepped onto the field with heavy gray clouds overhead. Soon, a few spatters became a steady fall. Three outs later, we huddled in the dugout and surprisingly, I felt cold. A hot summer evening mixed with enough rain for a good soaking and a gentle breeze on top of that made for one chilly third baseman. I was grateful for the rain but glad when the game finally ended.

Although rain can be dangerous and costly--as our neighbors to the south are experiencing with Fay--still I love the sound of it, whether a gentle shower or rushing downpour. And the smell, too--fresh and clean. But what I love most of all is what it leaves behind: grass greener than before, lush plants and colorful flowers. And water to sustain our lives too.

Oranges are Orange

2008-08-20T14:07:00.003-04:00

I dislike going to the grocery store. I do. I either put it off until we're out of everything but pickles and a three-year-old can of cream of chicken soup, or I zip in for 15 minutes, filling my cart with whatever I can grab in that amount of time. Sometimes I wait until after school so my daughter has to go with me. Having her company makes it more enjoyable (although she doesn't like it much either).

All that said, my favorite area at the grocery store is the produce department. All those fruits and vegetables--all those possibilities. But even more so, all those colors! Wow. It's a feast for the eyes when I allow myself to step back and take it all in--before rushing away to the breakfast or coffee aisle.

What if we lived in a world with no color? What if oranges were, well, not orange? What if lemons were gray, apples were white, green peppers were black? Yuck. Surely they would taste as bland as they looked.

I'm grateful that creation is filled with color. I'm grateful that my family loves color, too, and our home is filled with it. And I'm grateful that oranges are orange, after all.

The Beauty of the Cross

2008-08-11T10:10:00.005-04:00

On a grassy hill approaching a nearby mountain town is a message of faith to all who pass by. Since springtime, the owner of the land has consistently cut the grass in the shape of a cross. Every time I visit this town, the grass inside the cross has grown taller and therefore more visible. It's a huge cross, but if you're in a hurry or not paying attention, you could still miss it.

When I drove by last week, I glanced up to look at it and almost drove off the road. Not only was the grassy cross there but it was filled with dwarf sunflowers--hundreds of them. The cheery yellow flowers and the deep green grass made the cross a stunning roadside show. It made me think of creativity (this time, with a lawn mower and some seeds), summer beauty, new life, resurrection, and a dear friend who loves sunflowers best of all.

Pocketful of Petals

2008-08-06T07:32:00.004-04:00

Though we don't have any, cherry trees are popular in our area. Several of them grace the grounds at my daughter's school. One breezy spring day, while I was walking down the sidewalk next to her building, I noticed piles of pink cherry blossom petals against the curb. The wind had collected and deposited them at my feet. They still looked fresh--pink and delicate and perfect. I had the urge to lean down, gather them up and stuff them in my pockets for later--maybe for some cold day in January when the winter landscape stretches as far as the eye can see. Or for some afternoon in late summer when it's so hot we can't stay outside for long and the days are racing toward the start of the school year. If only those petals could bring spring, my favorite season, back again with its abundant beauty.

But then I'd miss fall--the spectacular leaves, the blessedly cooler temperatures, the crisp fragrance of change. And winter, with its strange and spare beauty, cold air making freckled noses pink and your breath turn to steam. I'd miss winter's promise of spring, of new life inside the cold earth. The anticipation of renewal, resurrection.

As beautiful as those petals were, I couldn't hold onto them any more than I can hold onto time itself. And despite the imminent end of summer, I'm looking forward to seeing the leaves put on their show before floating to the earth and becoming part of what's to come.

Enjoy the Day

2008-07-30T08:36:00.004-04:00

I'm taking today off. Summer is slipping by fast and will soon be over. Today I want to capture some summer beauty before it's gone.

Enjoy the day and look for the beauty around you. And thanks for reading.

The Beauty of Words

2008-07-22T16:14:00.005-04:00

Words are powerful. They can carry beauty or ugliness, joy or sorrow. They can build up or tear down.

Some of my favorite words come from fiction, nonfiction, essays, poetry, the Bible. I'll share those passages here in future posts. But sometimes my favorite words come in the form of an email or a card from a family member. Sometimes they are spoken over the phone or face to face by a friend.

The right word at the right time can bring a smile, brighten a mood, touch a heart. Maybe it's because I'm a writer and speaker, maybe it's because I'm a sensitive soul, but I try to be a person who has the right word at the right time. I try to handle words with care. I want to be known as a person who uses words to help, not hurt. I don't always succeed, of course. Sometimes I wish I'd swallowed some words instead of letting them go. But when I do say or write something that lifts someone up, I am lifted up too. And that to me is just one facet of the beauty of words.

Island Memories

2008-07-16T08:18:00.003-04:00

Last week we spent a few days at Jekyll Island. The Jekyll Island Club was established in the late 1800s as a club for millionaires. Fortunately, you don't have to be a millionaire to stay there now.

The island is state-owned, with only a small portion of it settled. Without new construction, the gorgeous old live oaks (Georgia's state tree) are protected. In fact, the oldest live oak on the island is just a quarter-mile's walk from the Club hotel. The more I write about beauty, the more I realize I am drawn to trees. I made certain that we visited that old live oak. We spent a lot of time under its huge canopy, looking at how the light streamed through its massive branches, touching the Spanish moss hanging down, and taking pictures by one of several limbs now resting on the ground.

Throughout our stay, we walked and pedaled through the 240-acre historic district. It was quiet and peaceful--not crowded at all. We toured two of the restored cottages and ate dinner in a third. We stayed in the newly-renovated Club hotel annex. We visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, where we learned about the dangers these turtles face and the necessity for their nests and hatchlings to be protected. We lingered in the hospital where we saw injured turtle patients being rehabilitated for return to the wild. My daughter fell in love with a terrapin hatchling there. It was hard to pull her away from its tank.

Between the historic buildings, the walking trails, the beach, the turtles, the quiet, the unhurried pace, and the live oaks with their Spanish moss, our vacation was full of memories of beauty. We're already planning to go back.

Chapel Jewels

2008-07-09T07:21:00.005-04:00

I've got chapels on my mind today. Last week, I toured a stunning chapel on the campus of Agnes Scott College. Named for Julia Thompson Smith, this gem was designed by Maurice Jennings Architects, a firm that upholds the principles of Organic Architecture as espoused by Frank Lloyd Wright and by Fay Jones. (Take a look at Fay Jones' famous Thorncrown Chapel). What I loved about this chapel was the soaring ceilings, the arches that appear everywhere, the abundance of natural light, the cypress wood found in Georgia, the reverent hush. I loved that the windows seemed to coax the gardens just outside into the building. And I loved that it has been set down on campus in such a way as to look like it has been there for decades, when in fact it was just dedicated a few months ago.

Later today, I'm touring Faith Chapel on Jekyll Island. Build for the Jekyll Island Club in 1904, this chapel's design is "early meetinghouse" with Gothic elements. At the west end is a signed example of the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany. My daughter has never seen a Tiffany window. I'm glad that we'll get to see her first one together.

The Sun

2008-07-02T08:05:00.005-04:00

Getting up with the sun is not something I especially like to do. I've noticed lately, though, that the sun is making its presence known through the bedroom window at 6 a.m. And I'll admit that there's something about letting the sun wake you up. It's like a silent continual snooze button--gradually getting brighter until you need a pillow to cover your face if you want to keep sleeping.

Lately I have also taken to walking the dog in the mornings when it's cool outside. The sun is up by then but it's still soft. Drowsy and not quite bright. Sunlight falls on the tops of trees and shrubs but doesn't yet dispel the shadows underneath. We can see and even smell the freshness of the new day. The potential.

A couple of hours later, the sunlight shines in full force, making a walk anywhere impossibly hot. But that's what summer is about--at least where I live. If you're brave enough, you cover yourself with sunblock, grab your sunglasses, drink plenty of water. And look for shady spots along the way.

In addition to light and heat, the sun also gives us beauty. Sunrises and sunsets are among my favorite moments of the day. I also love to see its rays filtered through the clouds or the trees.

The sun provides beauty in another way. Because of its light, we are able to see the rest of creation: the blue sky, the flowing river, the pretty flowers in the garden, our loved one's faces. We also need it to lift our moods and keep us healthy.

Now that summer is in full swing, it's easy to take sunlight for granted. But without it, where would we be? Where would beauty be?

Time to go for a walk.

Girl in the Blue Hat with a Tiny Smile

2008-06-24T17:13:00.006-04:00

On the wall across from my desk hangs a painting of a young woman with long auburn hair. She's wearing a blue hat with yellow flowers lining the band. Her heart-shaped face has rosy cheeks and dark red lips wearing a tiny smile. Her eyes are closed. Where is she? What is she doing? She looks like she's daydreaming of something pleasant, or smelling a sweet fragrance, or picturing a loved one's face. She might be reliving a favorite memory, or praying, or getting ready to accept a surprise from a friend. Whatever she is doing, she has an air of grace and beauty about her.

I bought this painting last summer at an arts festival. My husband and I had a lengthy conversation with the artist, Elaine Rose Lanoue. Elaine is a Christian who, alongside her husband, lives our her faith on the arts festival circuit. She wants people to see the love of Christ in her life and to offer hope to those around her, whether they are customers or fellow artists.

When I saw this painting, I thought of wishes and whimsy, joy and delight, my daughter and my girlfriends, weather that turns cheeks pink, and my love of hats in my 20s. Now when I see it, I sometimes think of Elaine Lanoue, of how she captured in that young woman's face an expression that stirs my imagination every time I look at it.

Glory

2008-06-18T07:39:00.004-04:00

Lord, make me see thy glory in every place. Michelangelo

Were there no God, we would be in this glorious world with grateful hearts, and no one to thank. Christina Rossetti

Where are some of your favorite places to see God's glory? Here's a short list for me:

* the symphony

* my back yard

* my daughter's face

* the Swiss Alps

* the Blue Ridge mountains in the fall

* the coast of Oregon

* the redwoods

* cherry trees in spring

* the river near our house

* art museums

What about you?

The Sound of Music

2008-06-11T10:12:00.000-04:00

If you're like me, when certain pieces of music touch your ears, your soul takes flight. For me, that music includes several selections from Handel's Messiah; anything from the classical collection of old favorites I listened to during my pregnancy and after my daughter was born; Mahler's Enigma, the gorgeous piece my husband and I chose for our wedding processional; and more. When I was young, the harmonies in "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" and "The Doxology" drew me long before I understood the meaning of the words. Recently, during Theatrical Outfit's production of Godspell, singer/actor Eric Moore's stirring performance of "All Good Gifts" made me wish I could carry it home with me. Sometimes bluegrass, gospel, folk and worship music move me the same way.

What type or pieces of music are filled with beauty for you? I'd love to know.

Words to Inspire

2008-06-04T08:07:00.000-04:00

Every so often, I like to share some favorite quotations about beauty. Today’s group includes a poet, the father of the Protestant Reformation, and a child who responded with fresh and honest enthusiasm to the beauty he saw.

“Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.” Martin Luther

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
And only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries . . ." Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on [Tuesday]. That was cool.” From Children’s Letters to God

Rambling

2008-05-28T08:23:00.001-04:00

Early one morning last week, my mom and I were walking in her neighborhood. The air was fresh and cool and full of the fragrance of honeysuckle and privet. The day had not fully awakened, especially in the shady parts.

Below her and Dad’s house, a neighbor has six dogwoods that line the street on one side. Underneath the dogwoods lies on old wooden plow--for display, not for use. Over the years, as I’ve driven that stretch of road to their house, the plow has become less visible because of fading and rotting from the weather as well as the growth of the trees above. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I noticed it. I didn’t know that it has been providing a stand for a climbing rose for years.

I didn’t know, that is, until Mom said she had something to show me. We had seen it from the car the night before but this morning we would have a better view from the road. As we came close to the dogwoods, she said, grinning, “When we walk past the plow, turn around and look up into the tree.”

My eyes went from the bleached, unrecognizable plow to the top of the dogwood tree. “Wow!” I said, grinning at her. “What a show!”

The white dogwood blooms have already come and gone this spring. Now deep red flowers crown the green leafy branches. It’s a surprising contrast, since the dogwood tree already produced its white blooms in early April. Steadily over time, the climbing rose has rambled from the plow below up into the top of the tree. And the dogwood gets the honor of blooming twice.

Decorative Only

2008-05-21T09:26:00.002-04:00

I’m sort of an accidental collector. Sometimes I find myself drawn to certain things and before I know it, I have a little stack, pile, or cache of them. Recently I realized that I have been collecting small blue handmade pots or bowls. The arts center a few miles from our house holds a pottery sale every spring and fall when they sell bowls of every shape. The small ones are just $8. I now have three on my desk and one on my bookshelf.

The bowls I especially like have a Raku finish. My knowledge of Raku is limited but it has something to do with a quick firing and finishing technique that produces a metallic glaze. That’s what I like about it: the metallic part. My bowls have blues, purples, and reds in them that are muted by a bronze/copper glaze.

Because Raku is porous, these bowls can’t hold food or water. Their function is decorative only. And that’s all right with me.

Beauty often doesn’t have a tangible, practical purpose—at least nothing that can be quantified and measured. But we live in a world that values hurry up, move along, get it done, and check it off. We need beauty to bring color, grace, warmth, and balance to our lives. We need beauty to help us slow down. My little collection of $8 bowls helps do that for me.

The Peonies

2008-05-14T06:59:00.002-04:00

When we moved in to this house and flowers started blooming that first spring, I discovered the small plant with shiny green leaves. It produced large white flowers with a touch of fuchsia inside. I thought I knew what the plant was but wasn’t sure. Peonies? I had read about them before but never seen a real one. They aren’t a usual part of the landscape where I live. I hastily gathered and brought the large intricate blooms inside where the sweet fragrance filled the kitchen.

But the plant is in a part of the yard that I don’t see regularly and frankly, I forgot to check on them the next year. Last year, I remembered it but we had such a drought that the bush withered before it could bloom.

A few weeks ago, we went to a dinner party at a friend’s house. In the front yard stood two bushes loaded with the biggest white flowers (with fuschia in the center) I had ever seen. One of them could fill both my hands together. Our friend confirmed what I already knew: peonies. Inside her house they graced the tables, countertops, the bathroom vanity. I was happy to see them and to know that, unless the drought struck again, we should soon have similar blooms on our plant and in our house.

But I forgot to check again! That is, until Monday. Monday was very stressful, so that afternoon my dog and I stepped out on the back deck for some fresh air. I walked to the railing and looked at the yard below. I suddenly remembered the peony. Leaning over the railing and turning my head far to the left, I saw them: four large peonies, slumped over because they were too heavy for the stems. Yes! I thought. I’ll cut them after dinner. I’ve got to get back to work. But then I felt this urging: Don’t wait. Go get them now.

And a few minutes later, they stood in a vase on our kitchen counter that a few weeks ago held flowers from a friend’s garden. Their faces and their fragrance have cheered me in the middle of a hard week. They do look a little timeworn—they must have bloomed at the end of last week. And to think, I almost missed it! It would have been my loss.

Blessed Art Thou Among Women

2008-05-07T07:40:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday, we went to an exhibition at the art museum that highlighted the paintings and photographs of several American women modernists. One of the most famous photographers of her day, Gertrude Kasebier (1852-1934), became known for her motif of mothers in her photos. A mother of three herself, she said, “"My children and their children have been my closest thought, but from the first days of dawning individuality, I have longed unceasingly to make pictures of people...to make likenesses that are biographies, to bring out in each photograph the essential personality."

One of my favorite paintings of hers does bring out the essential personality in her subject matter. It is called Blessed Art Thou Among Women, which alludes to the biblical passage surrounding Mary and the Annunciation. The woman—the mother—in the photograph stands in the doorway with a girl of maybe 10 years old in a dark dress, tights, and shoes. The mother wears a long, flowing white gown with ruffles on the top that remind me of angel’s wings. She’s looking away from the lens and seems to be leaning over to give the girl a kiss on the head. The visual contrast between the mother’s white gown and the girl’s dark dress grabs my attention and pulls me in.

The theme of a mother getting her child ready for the world makes this photograph particularly striking. As I looked at it, I thought about the mystique surrounding motherhood. I thought about my daughter: does she know how much I love and adore her? And how grateful I am that she is mine and what a gift she has been to me?

I thought about my mother: does she know how much I love and adore her? And how grateful I am for all she has done for me and what a gift she has been to me?

As we celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend, I’ll make sure to tell them these things again. And I’ll think about how motherhood has stretched and grown me more than I ever dreamed it would, how I love being a mother even on challenging days, how I can’t imagine my life any other way.

Beauty Points

2008-04-30T07:44:00.001-04:00

Years ago, when I came out of a time of grieving, I felt as though I had finally awakened from a long slumber. Gradually, my eyes were opened to beauty and I saw it everywhere: in my home, in my baby girl’s face, in art, creation, music, words. It had been there all along but I didn’t see it, didn’t fully appreciate it. And it was my loss.

Beauty doesn’t create itself. What I saw and experienced moved me to praise and thank the Creator. I worship the Creator of beauty, not beauty itself. I worship God, not the sunrise or mountains or flowers He made. Not the painting or the painter, the music or musician, but the One who made them possible. As CS Lewis noted, beauty is not the absolute. It points beyond itself. When I point at something, you don’t look at my finger for very long; you look to see where I am pointing. Beauty points us to God.

To me, that God would give us beauty is amazing and humbling. Why would He do that? I believe God loves us. I believe He loves beauty. I believe He is beauty, and He has lavished it upon us with joy and abandon. Do you see it?

Where?

Just Another Day at the Farm

2008-04-23T07:31:00.001-04:00

It’s fall. A beautiful, warm day at the pumpkin farm. The brilliant blue sky fills in the background behind a row of pines, green as ever. A red-roofed pavilion houses displays of Indian corn, boxes of grotesque gourds, and parents with little ones. A maple tree, tall and bent a little, shows off orange leaves, not to be outdone by the profusion below. The orange of the pumpkins explodes against brown dirt and yellow hay.

It’s our second annual visit with her grandparents. She’s two this time and can walk and even run among the misshapen, mutant-looking pumpkins. She’s looking at the camera with eyes squinting in the late morning sunlight. Light bounces off long blond hair as she stands next to a group of the largest pumpkins, their shadows taller than she is. Her hands are clasped together uneasily, plump little fingers gripping themselves. The blue of her shirt, her plaid overalls, even her eyes, reflects the blue above her. Her toddler tennis shoes are too white but won’t be for long. She’s half-smiling, unsure and even a little confused. “What are these things, Mama? Will they get me?”

The photo hangs on my inspiration board—a memory of a day filled with many types of beauty.

Through the Mist

2008-04-16T10:51:00.001-04:00

In the spring a few years ago, while at a corporate event at a local resort, my husband rose before sunrise one morning and went for a walk. He’s an early riser by nature--he enjoys the quiet before the rest of the world wakes up. In the early-morning hush, he strolled through the manicured grounds of the golf course. As he topped a small knoll, his eyes caught a sight that amazed and stilled him: through the light mist ahead of him, a dozen deer stood motionless on the green. He stared at them for a few moments until one of them caught his scent and they all bounded away. Watching them, he felt both sorry to see them go and elated that he had seen them at all.

The next spring, my husband’s company had another event that brought them to the same resort. Up early the first morning, he set out for the golf course. Would the deer be there? He walked slowly, careful this time to be as quiet and alert as possible. He watched for them. And a little while later, he again saw a group of deer, a beautiful sight through the mist. On that spring morning, he went looking—hoping—for beauty and he found it.

Do you look for beauty? Where? I’d love to hear about it.

Beauty Before the Blue

2008-04-07T21:10:00.001-04:00

“The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

On our daily drive to school, my daughter and I take a long, winding back road lined with older houses and mature flowering trees and hardwoods. Spring and fall are my favorite seasons, and during those months, the scenery on the side of the road is a show-stopper.

But one chilly morning, as we started our drive, it was the scene above that grabbed our attention. The sunrise stunned us. While we wound our way on that curvy road in the early morning light, we caught glimpses of brilliant colors through the branches overhead. We talked about each color as it intensified and then faded a few minutes later.

“I see pink!” she’d cry.

“I see orange!” I’d say.

As we watched, I thanked God out loud for the beauty in the sky. A few minutes later, my daughter said, “I think God did that just for us. He knew we’d be on the road right now.”

“Yes,” I said, smiling to myself. “He knew how much we’d love it.” And He knew I’d talk to her about the One who created it. The beauty of that sunrise and of that moment with my daughter filled my heart with praise. Awe and gratitude stayed with me long after the colors disappeared into the blue.

The Jar of Clay

2008-04-02T09:45:00.002-04:00

It was our first anniversary. One year of marriage. One wonderful and, at times, stressful year of becoming a couple and a family all at once. Our paths to each other had taken many twists and turns but God brought us together, surprising and delighting and thrilling us both.

So, to celebrate, he and I stole away to a lovely little mountain town that becomes a large mountain town when it’s swollen with tourists during the peak season. But that weekend, it was just the locals and us. We felt spoiled because we had the restaurants, shops, and streets to ourselves.

One day, after a very nice, almost gourmet lunch in a small hotel restaurant, we drove down the street to the art gallery. We had spied it the day before and were looking forward to seeing whatever treasures it held. We hoped to find something to commemorate the occasion. When we walked inside, the grayness outside faded with bright lights and colorful canvases. Wow. Surely there would be something special here.

My husband stopped to look at the paintings close to the front. I moved on ahead. When I turned a corner, I saw it, hanging up on the left. It stopped me in my tracks. The painting was large, first of all, and the blend of colors jumped off the canvas: greens, purples, blues, pinks, a band of coral at the top, a light green background. It was striking. I called my husband over and he had a similar reaction. Wow!

A few moments later, he said, “It’s a jar of clay.”

“Yes,” I said. “Like we are.”

The rest of the day, we couldn't stop thinking and talking about that painting so we brought it home with us. It now hangs in our living room. Its beauty reminds us of our faith, our love for each other, and a trip that celebrated both.

The Ancient Ones

2008-03-26T07:41:00.002-04:00

Ancient redwood trees, stately, majestic. So tall you can’t see the top, only branches and leaves against the sky. So large that if you try to wrap your arms around it, you feel like a toddler hugging a football player. Reddish brown bark sometimes twisted with age and weather. Hollowed-out bases big enough to stand up in, wide enough to camp in. Many redwoods have humps that look like swollen, knobby joints. Surrounded by their children and grandchildren at their feet. Some of these massive trunks have rings that trace back to the time of Christ. The time of Christ!

Their Creator and ours.

We visited the Redwood Grove at Henry Cowell State Park in Santa Cruz, California. We plan to return.

The Irresistible Beauty

2008-03-19T12:35:00.004-04:00

It’s Holy Week, and my thoughts are turned toward Christ. John Piper, pastor and author, recently wrote an article on the irresistible beauty of Christ. I thought you might enjoy reading “The Unbelieving Poet Catches a Glimpse of Truth."

This week, as we remember the crucifixion and celebrate the resurrection, look for glimpses of the beauty of Christ and then let me know what you find. I'd love to hear about it.

A Beautiful Day

2008-03-12T07:59:00.002-04:00

Today is my anniversary. Our wedding was the most beautiful day of my life, filled with beauty and the arts. For example, all of the printed pieces—the Save the Date, the invitation, the program, even the thank you note--were commissions from some of our favorite artists. The location was a theater that’s very special to us: the Balzer Theater at Herren’s in downtown Atlanta. The set for the show that was running at the time, Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke, included a courtyard with a fountain and an angel statue that had “Eternity” etched into its base. Perfect for a wedding. We used some of our favorite classical music, with Edward Elgar’s Enigma as the processional. Actor friends, including Nigel Goodwin and Tom Key, both of whom have been featured on my arts blog, read selections from C. S. Lewis, 1 Corinthians 13 from The Message, and a long list of our favorite scriptures. Other friends performed hymns and songs of worship especially meaningful to us.

My groom and I did special readings that we'd written to each other, which we glued inside a handmade book by a paper artist. After our vows and a special prayer of dedication, the pastor presented us to our family and friends. They began clapping and, when the beginning strains of the “Hallelujah Chorus” could be heard over the noise, they rose to their feet and applauded wildly as we, laughing, left the theater.

The most beautiful thing about our wedding was the gratitude and joy we felt that, after a long, difficult road for each of us, God had brought us together. Like we did then, this week we celebrate Him and each other. We look forward to many more years together as we live lives filled with love for the Lord, each other, and our daughter. And beauty and the arts.

Beauty Balm

2008-03-04T20:39:00.002-05:00

“Pain passes but beauty remains.” Renoir

Years ago, during a time of grief and loss, I found beauty to be like a balm for me. It helped soothe the pain I felt. I looked for beauty wherever I could—and found it. One thing stands out in my mind, though.

It was springtime, my first in my new place. When signs of life began appearing in my yard, I noticed my neighbor’s crabapple tree next to the fence. I hadn’t really seen it before but now it grabbed my attention, so beautiful with the full pink blossoms that covered it. I could see the tree from my kitchen window and from the front and back of the house. I could even see it when I pulled into the driveway. From all of these vantage points, I spent a lot of time gazing at it, drinking in its beauty and thinking about what I had been through. I felt as if God, through the beauty of that crabapple tree, reminded me of the hope I had in Him. He seemed to whisper, “Your long winter is over. Spring is here at last.”

Words to Inspire

2008-02-27T07:02:00.002-05:00

Those of you who read my other blog, Christians in the Arts, know how much I love quotations. I collect them on the computer and in a Moleskine journal with a purple silk cover. I pull them out when I want to be inspired. I like to share them with others too. Here are a few quotations on beauty that I hope will inspire you today:

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness; but still will keep a bower quiet for us, and a sleepfull of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing." -- John Keats

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting--a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, and creeds follow one another like the withered leaves of Autumn; but what is beautiful is a joy for all seasons and a possession for all eternity." -- Oscar Wilde

"Youth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." -- Franz Kafka

May we always keep the ability to appreciate beauty.

What Wondrous Love is This?

2008-02-20T07:30:00.003-05:00

On my wedding day, two dear friends, Genny and Jason, sang the old hymn, What Wondrous Love is This? My groom and I used many types of music in our wedding but we chose this song because we wanted to proclaim the love that brought us together. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

An American folk hymn from the mid-1800s, What Wondrous Love is This?, with its beautiful, haunting melody, proclaims a profound and timeless truth. As my friends’ voices mingled and rose, my heart did too.

Old songs, dearly loved, like old friends, bring beauty to our lives.

What Wondrous Love is This?

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
To God and to the Lamb Who is the great “I Am”;
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing;
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on.

Beauty Appreciation, Part 2

2008-02-12T08:42:00.000-05:00

Last week I wrote about taking beauty breaks—giving yourself time to notice and enjoy the beauty around you. Have you been thinking about the types of beauty that move you most? Here are a few:

• Visual: creation, art, design
• Auditory: music, birdsong, laughter
• Written: poetry, literature, essays, scripture

How can you remind yourself to notice and look for the beauty around you? Think through your day. Where will you be? What will you be doing? Where and when might you see beauty? Be intentional. Consider keeping a beauty journal so you can record, remember, and continue to appreciate your experiences.

How can you bring more beauty into your life? Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Get up early enough to watch the sunrise. If you’re in the car when the show starts, turn off the radio and spend a few minutes watching and savoring.

• Take a walk and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of creation.

• Buy an inexpensive, fragrant bouquet of flowers for your desk or kitchen.

• Put special art books, postcards, calendars, or even works of art on your desk, your kitchen table, or your walls. They just might inspire you.

• Visit an art museum or gallery. Spend some time examining the works that draw you. What do you like about them? If you want to, jot down the titles of the works and the names of the artists so you can research them later.

• Listen to music. Treat yourself to something new—maybe a classical CD—and see how it changes your day.

• Read from a book of poetry, a classic novel, or scripture passages on your lunch break or whenever you find yourself waiting.

• If you’re a parent, teach your kids to look for beauty. Make a game of it, watch what happens, and share the joy of beauty with them.

What are your ideas? I’d love to hear them.

Beauty Appreciation

2008-02-06T07:39:00.000-05:00

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“This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair. Beauty, like truth, brings joy to the human heart and is that precious fruit which resists the erosion of time, which unites generations and enables them to be one in admiration!” Pope John Paul II, “Letter to Artists,” Easter Sunday, 1999.

I’m a beauty advocate. A beauty appreciator. Beauty brings joy to my heart and I know I’m not alone. The sad thing is, even though we are surrounded by beauty, we’re so busy talking on our cell phones or hurrying to the next appointment that we rush right by it. Beauty requires us to stop and look—or listen. When we do, we are refreshed, energized, maybe even encouraged to talk a little less and slow down a little more.

Where is the beauty in your life? Look around you—at home, at work, on your commute—and take note of beauty in your environment.

What type of beauty moves you the most? Here are a few:
• Visual: creation, art, design
• Auditory: music, birdsong, laughter
• Written: poetry, literature, essays, scripture

What are some ways you can remind yourself to take note of the beauty around you?

How can you bring more of this type of beauty into your life?

This week, give yourself beauty breaks, even if only for a few minutes. Think through these questions. I know you’ll come up with some ideas. Leave a comment and let me know. Next week, I’ll give you a few more ways to appreciate the beauty in your life.

Bathed in Beauty

2008-01-30T07:44:00.000-05:00

“We do not merely want to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words—to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.” C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

For me, like many people, the beauty of creation opens my eyes to the Creator. While working late one August night, I glanced out my office window and caught a glimpse of the most beautiful sunset I'd seen all summer. Slipping on my sandals, I ran outside and stood in my front yard, staring up in wonder. My house sat at the top of a steep hill so my view was unobstructed. No neighbors walked down the street; no cars passed by. It was just me with this spectacular sight. My heart soared. Lavish streaks of pink and orange filled the darkening sky. Glancing down at my arms, I saw that same pinkish glow on my skin, as though I was being bathed in color and beauty from the heavens. The symphony of colors slowly rose to crescendo, then softened and faded away. For a brief moment—a moment that can hardly be put into words—I felt as though I was part of the beauty above me. I did not want it to end.

Mary Cassatt and Lullabies

2008-01-23T06:36:00.000-05:00

Years ago, when my friend found out I was going to have a baby, she gave me a copy of A Child’s Book of Lullabies, with paintings by Mary Cassatt. A tall, thin, pale yellow hardback, the book is filled with some of the artist’s most beloved oils and pastels. In college, I liked Cassatt’s paintings for their subject matter as well as their beauty. Through her work, she brought validity and importance to the role of women in the home by depicting them reading, working, and caring for children.

Long after my college days, as a mother-to-be, I looked at Cassatt’s paintings with new eyes, especially noting the intimacy and tenderness between the mothers and children. Anticipating the joy of holding and feeding my own baby, I could almost see us in those paintings.

The book, an early favorite of my daughter’s, brought about one of her first experiences with art and music. As a toddler, she would pull the book off her shelf, bring it over, and snuggle up with me, either on the floor or in the rocking chair. We would go slowly through the book, page by page. She looked at it carefully and pointed to the music. I sang the songs and talked about what we saw in the paintings.

Now six years later, my daughter still takes the book off her shelf and looks at periodically. She also uses it as a lap desk when she’s drawing pictures of her own, writing stories, or both. I wonder if when she looks at those paintings, she remembers the times in her little yellow room when we gazed and sang and snuggled. Maybe, maybe not. But I won’t forget them.

Seeking Beauty

2008-01-16T07:32:00.000-05:00

Years ago, as I struggled through an extremely painful time of my life, I began to seek out beauty whenever I could. I couldn’t articulate it then, but on some level I realized that beauty brought me comfort and drew me closer to God. So, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends, I went to the museum, the theater, and the symphony. I browsed antique stores, gift shops, and arts’ festival booths. I listened to music that touched my soul and made my spirit dance. I reveled in the arrival of spring after a long, dark winter. And, as I watched my energetic toddler grow into a preschooler full of exuberance and dimply smiles, I marveled at the beauty of the creation of man.

I also discovered anew that the written word can carry inestimable beauty, particularly when it is scripture. Words I had read much of my life now became a precious treasure I held close to my heart: promises from the Lord, the lover of my soul. A phrase like “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1) paints a beautiful word picture of my dependence on God—a truth I began to understand more fully during that time in my life.

The classic works of great writers spoke to my heart as well. In the title sermon from The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis wrote, “We do not merely want to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words—to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.” His words helped me to understand my own desire for beauty as well as to articulate my experience.

This blog is one avenue I’m using to articulate what I believe is everyone’s desire for beauty. If you have an experience with beauty that you’d like to share, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment or email me at contact@leannebenfieldmartin.com.

An excerpt from my article that appeared in Indeed magazine, September/October 2006.

Welcome to Beauty and the Beholder

2008-01-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

One morning after breakfast last week, I stood in my kitchen in my thickest, furriest robe and slippers and still felt a chill. At 20 degrees, it was unseasonably cold for our area (that is to say, it actually felt like winter). Knowing I had a full day ahead at my computer, I stopped first to look at the view from the picture window. Several small birds, a flaming red cardinal, and a squatty squirrel gathered food from under the trees and shrubs. They didn’t seem cold at all—just perky. And pecky.

The grass in our front yard, lush and green a few months ago, now looks tan, sometimes even gray. Dull. A light overnight frost had turned it prickly, and something glinted in the sun. What was that? I pressed my nose to the glass like a little kid and squinted like a 40-something: there were several small and shiny blue things lying in the grass. The frost crystals were capturing the early morning sun like prisms, and the result was tiny circles of blue light, probably 15 or 20 of them. They looked like diamonds shining on that blanket of dormant grass. Gorgeous. With the sun’s movement and climbing temperatures, surely this scene wouldn’t be there long. And if I hadn’t stopped to look out the window, I would have missed it.

I think God gives us diamonds all the time but we miss them. We’re distracted by our own busyness. We don’t expect to see (and therefore don't look for) diamonds in the mundane. But they are there; beauty is there. We just have to open our eyes, our ears and our minds to receive and enjoy it.

That’s what this blog is about: the beauty around us. My posts--on Wednesdays and occasionally Fridays--will be about beauty in creation, in the arts, wherever we find it, including those moments in our lives that make us stop and gasp, that make us feel more alive and grateful for the experience.

Like I did last week.