Beauty Balm

“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.”