Movement – we take it for granted sometimes. There is beauty in the ability to walk and stretch and lean and dance and tackle and run and skip and fly.
Beauty in movement.
Time lapses in November are my favorite. What do you notice first? The rising of the sun? Or the deer roaming through the trees munching their breakfast? Or did you catch the rays of light moving through the trees? Watch it a few times. There are several gifts of Beauty here in just :23 seconds.
How about the movement here…
To think this started as a blank canvas. My friend combined rich colors, a brush and her daughter to create this painting. Do you hear the invitation? Can you feel the joy in movement? Is it inviting you to skip through crunchy leaves? Does it inspire you to get outside? Do you wonder where she’s headed? (greatness, this girl is headed to greatness) Does it remind you of the holidays? The time and intention behind each stroke of acrylics is beauty to me.
I was hiking by myself this morning and asked God for starlings for you. I wanted to show you the murmurations – that’s what the big swooping cloud of birds is called. European Starlings will move and dive and swerve in a mass of chirping birds that in a flash go silent. The murmuration is mesmerizing. The Beauty of their movement is undeniable. And so, I got greedy and asked God.
Sure enough, He answered. Check out who was chirping overhead.
This screenshot from my Merlin bird app (don’t judge, download and then tell me your thoughts). I wish I had a video of the cloud of European Starlings moving through the sky but I don’t. So, I’m going to ask you to be on the look out!
And, let’s just appreciate this screenshot as evidence of me putting myself in the path of oncoming Beauty and Beauty waiting to meet me, meet us!
But, when you combine imagination with that ability, then you have vision. And vision points far beyond sight.
Beauty can begin with vision and move into a vision.
This red barn is an example of what I’m trying to say.
When you see it, you might expect hay or animals here. But, look beyond, look inside.
Caren had a vision for her barn – taking it beyond shelter or storage.
Her vision involved inviting artists to come in and sell their creations in the barn.
The imagination inside the concept of the barn sale showcases the beauty of vision: stockings made from old quilts and remnants of high end fabrics, Christmas scenes set inside an eggshells, and basic flannels turned into one of a kind shirts.
Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.
-Jonathan Swift
Vision is contagious.
This barn holds water color scripture cards, acrylics on tin plates, ornaments, sweet potato pound cakes and so much more!
Maybe you should catch the beauty of vision at C’s Barn sale 16129 York Rd, Sparks 10-3 Sunday 🙂
Driving around today, it was the things that stood out catching my eye.
The contrast of what November looks like on trees: Evergreens stand tall and full, almost boastful. While, our Maples are nothing but twiggy wood.
And, just look at the beauty of this pizza!
The contrast of crunchy crust, chewy mozzarella, peppery green basil and rich tomato sauce.
What I love about contrast when considering Beauty is that what stands out doesn’t make one thing more beautiful than the other. In fact, it’s the coming together, the side by side-ness of these different things that makes the whole thing beautiful.
It’s Day Two and the question that’s hitting me is “But, what makes some thing beautiful?”
When we did the Light challenge, it felt pretty straightforward.
Light is light.
The unique piece to that process was looking for the ways in which the light gets in.
But Beauty is a different thing altogether.
If “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” then beauty is a very individualistic thing. Right? Beauty is subjective.
Beauty is tailored, detailed, unique to you and me in very different ways.
Sure, there are things we can all agree on that are beautiful.
But, for today, I like considering that Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. You, as a beholder, are different from me.
Which must mean Beauty is a magnificent thing, right?
While our perception of what beauty is might be unique to each and everyone of us; the fact that Beauty is pursuing us is common for each and every one of us.
Not a single soul is immune to the persistence of Beauty.
For me, Beauty often comes in the form of nature. Being outside hits me deep because the intricacy of a spider web, the blend of greens, the sounds of crunching leaves – it makes me feel small, reminds me that seasons come and go, invites me into a bigger picture of creation.
So, I guess on Day Two of getting myself in the path of oncoming beauty; I’m going to ask myself some questions. And I am encouraging you to ask yourself some questions around beauty.
What is beautiful to you?
Why is it beautiful – Is it because it makes you say wow? Is it because it takes your breath away? Is it because it pleases something in you?
A clean room can be beautiful to somebody who finds chaos ugly.
A meal can be beautiful just because someone else prepared it. The care and detail behind someone other than you arranging and putting the finishing touches on the plate so you didn’t have to do a thing. That can be a thing of beauty.
Is beauty something that sparks a memory for you something nostalgic?
Is it something you hear or is it something you see? Is it something you touch?
What is beautiful to you today? Beauty is big enough to meet you each and every moment.
Interview yourself and get to know what Beauty is for you.
Take some time to understand the how and why and what Beauty is for you.
Knowing yourself and what Beauty looks like coming for you is key.
Allow the questions to dig deeper so you become the best treasure hunter.
There’s Beauty in the process.
Also, this beast of a car is beauty to me. Why? She represents almost 13 years of travel and care and conversations and fights and more for our family. She is worn. She squeaks. She is not the most comfortable. But, she is a beauty!
It feels like we have been stuck here in a season of goodbyes.
Grammie and Pop Pop moved to Florida earlier this year.
Lauren and John left for college this summer.
Our sweet Honey died at the start of Fall.
Each of these losses is so different and they’re all being felt acutely by each and everyone of us.
Conversations and tears are more and more frequent.
The more I look around and take note of my people, I can see grief has leveled us.
We’re sad there are no more “Guess Who” board game challenges or home made pizza nights or Pop Pop randomly showing up with tools and an idea.
I’m adjusting to fewer grocery bags and smaller meal portions – It’s weird only making enough food for 5 and not 10 (because John can eat for 3).
When I see the car Lauren and John share parked in the garage; I still catch myself expecting that it means they’re in the house.
Noticing when one of us extends our hand assuming Honey’s soft golden fur will meet our fingers and the sadness that comes from that emptiness… it stings.
I am thinking we’ve all felt the feelings and named the hurts and understand the losses well.
I’m not afraid of grief. But it hasn’t necessarily been comfortable either.
I’m feeling like it’s time for grief to move on.
In honor of our grief – I’ve been wanting to offer something to myself and my family of a way to move through it, from it; slowly and carefully.
Do you remember when we did the challenge in November of 2020 to look for all the ways the light gets in, day by day?
Starting today November 2023; I’m challenging myself and my people to get in the path of oncoming BEAUTY.
I’ve been following along with Curt Thompson on his podcast, Being Known, and his most recent series on Beauty.
Their conversations highlight the meaningful and practical value of noticing when and how Beauty pursues us and giving it permission to find us.
I want Beauty to pull me close and comfort the deepest hurt in my heart. I want Beauty to to push me outside my comfort zone, inviting me to reach higher, look beyond what I’m used to looking to and find Beauty. I want Beauty to pull us together in search of it.
Will you join me?
There’s a lot of hurt in our world.
And as Thompson teaches, “trauma shatters the lens through which we see our lives;” Simply put, the hurt can make it hard to see Beauty.
Don’t worry, I’m not trying to tell my kids to stop grieving – that’s their process.
But I will be challenging myself for this month of November to see what, where, and how Beauty shows up.
Well shit. I’m coming out of the rubble, still not quite standing, still wiping the dust from my eyes but I want you with me. You always let me be messy.
Covid messed up the manufacturing and distribution of the hormone replacement pills I’m on. While that might not sound like a big deal to you (which is fair since it didn’t seem like that big a deal to me either) – let me tell you, it is a big deal. I didn’t have the prescription for 5 days. My body went into a weird disconnected, fog-like state. When I finally got back on them, it sent my blood pressure on a nasty rollercoaster ride. When it dipped, I had no energy and felt dizzy. When my blood pressure started climbing, it gripped the right side of my chest and made it hard to breathe. The rollercoaster sent my body into panic mode, where quite literally, I just went from one panic attack to another. I kept opening and closing my hands trying to stretch out the tightness in my fingers.
Instead of asking for help, I started feeling shame.
Here’s what I’m learning (again). Shame is shit. Trauma is a jerk. And I was getting attacked by both.
My body has experienced trauma in many ways over my lifetime. And the poor thing was freaking out on me. My doctor prescribed some fluid pills to bring down the swelling and some Xanax to bring down the panic level. My therapist worked through some tapping exercises with me to remind me where I’ve been and where I am now, reconnecting my body, mind & heart. Both have been helpful, but you know where the real change has come in? Pursuing Beauty. I don’t mean it as an assignment to where I must pursue beauty to see where the light gets in. Nope, not this time.
Pursuing Beauty...
by which I mean, Beauty pursuing me. And, I’m letting it find me. I’m letting Beauty pursue me and find me. And it is making all the difference.
Curt Thompson is a psychiatrist who devotes his work to providing the “framework for understanding science and spirituality.” In one of his recent podcasts, he said, “Beauty is coming to find you. It’s not a coincidence. It’s coming to find you.” And that, “We need to recognize that Beauty is always hovering.” And since, “trauma shatters the lens through which we see our lives;” it can be hard to see Beauty. So, his challenge is to “put yourself in the path of beauty.” I took notes on that episode and listened several times. Turns out, when trauma breaks you; it breaks your ability to see beauty.
When the idea of looking for beauty came up again during a work call; I knew I needed to pay attention.
This morning, walking back from taking the trash cans to the edge of the driveway, I notice this.
Disregard my socks and Birks and notice the bit of Beauty pursuing me in my literal path.
Don’t dismiss this little green plant. Notice how she’s growing defiantly up through a crack in the tar and asphalt. She is resilient. She is stretching. She is alive. She is making it.
To “put myself in the path of Beauty,” I knelt down and took a closer picture.
Pursuing Beauty looks like the tiniest of details on this little cluster of leaves and the perfect dew drops on her. Isn’t she beautiful?
I’m pushing beyond the broken to find the Beauty already pursuing me.
Nature has been around a long time carrying the weight of beauty and wisdom. So, we should be paying attention. Nature extends non-verbal communication that there is a God.(“The Songs of Jesus” p32 Tim Keller) Creation reveals God’s artistry. God’s first offering to you and me is in coral sunrises and towering green trees and crashing deep blue ocean waves and looming, ice capped mountains. “Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded, But their silence fills the earth. Unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.” (Psalm 19:3-4 MSG) That tiny plant pushing through asphalt offered me unspoken truth this morning. Life may have broken me more than a couple times, but Pursuing Beauty is after me.
Jesus is after you too.
I pray you pay attention. I pray you put yourself in the path of Beauty. Jesus tells us, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” (John 5:17) He’s not sitting around on a cloud or in a book. Jesus is after you, throwing colors and scents and hugs, maybe some Xanax, blossoms and defiant buds in your path. Let’s pray for each other to keep our eyes open for the Pursuing Beauty coming for us. You might be broken but there is beauty to be found.
how the light gets in 