whether or not there is love at home. Whether we truly love our families and others; or whether we valiantly try but fail to do so; or for that matter, whether we simply don’t care. Or anything else we do, really.
The beauty remains.
Our ability to see it, to feel it, to appreciate it, to savor it, to draw strength from it — those may differ from day to day, or hour to hour, or year to year, depending on a thousand different things. Our own feelings — distraction or sadness, guilt or confusion or grief, anger or callousness — may interfere sometimes, may prevent us from seeing or appreciating the beauty.
But even when we fail to see it, the beauty is no less present and no less real. The diamond-cut edges of afternoon clouds spread across the Cerulean sky are no less dazzling; the flavors of cheese and strawberries on the tongue are no less piquant and vibrant; the melodies and harmonies of beloved songs are no less glorious. The beauty remains, whether or not we see it.
Sometimes the sun rises behind morning clouds. But even when it is obscured by a gray haze, the sunrise is no less real. The sky lights up all around; the morning birds chirp and whistle; the day advances. Even when the clouds are low, the sunrise goes on; only our ability to see it changes.
Whatever we do, whoever we are, we cannot change the sunrise. We may drop clouds in front of it, but the sun will still rise. We may sleep through the dawn, or refuse to look out the window, but the sun will still rise. Whether or not we allow ourselves to see beauty, or even wish to see it; whether we think ourselves good or bad, faithful or adrift, saints or sinners or sinning saints; whether we are loved or liked or hated or unknown; whether we are strong or weak or undecided; whether we open our eyes to see beauty or whether we close them tightly — whatever we do, whatever we are, nothing will change the wonderful reality.
There is beauty all around.
Not just all around, either. There is beauty in you, too.
The Lord told me so, once, as I sat in the peace and beauty of temple square, and marveled at the beauty and grace of the temple.
He spoke to me, and said, “There is beauty in you too.”
Somehow I need to figure out how to see it again. It’s easier to see in a sunset, than it is in myself.
If I contemplate that He knows how the beauty of that sunset will touch MY heart, then maybe that’s a place to start . . .
Thanks for this post.
Kaimi,
Thank You. Beautifully written. I guess you fall squarely in the tree falling in the forest DOES make a sound, the Truth is out there, and beauty is NOT in the eye of the beholder camps.
.
There’s also evil and ugliness all around, and the consequences of failing to see that are much more severe than the consequences of failing to see beauty.
But that’s not to say that I don’t like this post. It’s a good post.
DKL: I’ve noticed a commitment to negativity in a lot of your posts on numerous blogs. It is really a matter of focus. It is just a fact that we filter out of our experience and consciousness a great deal of experience. We choose what we will let thru the filter and we choose what to focus on. I suggest focusing on the beautiful, edifying and uplifting is a lot more fulfilling and gives a more accurate picture.
Yes, Blake, I have a very strong commitment to negativity. It allows me to expect the worst and continually surpass my highest expectations. If I were ever to become an optimist, I’d soon discover that what a total failure I am. You wouldn’t want that, would you?
But seriously, I see what you mean and I agree with you.
Thank you, Kaimi! That’s my favorite hymn. “Roses bloom beneath our feet. All the Earth’s a garden sweet.” Middle-earth is all around us. We just have to open our eyes and see it.
Welcome to Southern California summers Kaimi. :-)
There needs to be a SoCal bloggersnacker soon !
Kaimi
My son said yesterday that he did not mind that he will not be able to be behind the pc for two weeks ( he is 7 by the way) because he will be on vacation in the nature.
We will be leaving tomorrow. We live in a innercity area of Rotterdam, Holland. Although we have a little garden with birds and a tree and now some tomatoplants growing. It is not the same as being in the nature all together. We need to travel by train and bus tomorrow for about four hours to get to our destinations but I am sure of that we love the trip over there and the stay.
There is beauty all around if we train ourselves to look for it. And about the beauty inside of you, well I am in therapy to discover that and slowly I see that as well and start to accept and enjoy that.
summergreetings
Elizabeth ( from Holland)
I heard Paul H Dunn once say
I heard Paul H Dunn once say
“It’s only the veiw from where you sit,
that makes you feel defeat.
Life is full of many rows
So get up and change your seat!”
too many of us just want to sit and complain rather than move.
Hey, Kaimi–I thought smarmy nature observation was *my* job! But you do it beautifully. There’s a line from a George Herbert poem I love: “the man who looks on glass/on it may stay his eye/ or, if he pleases, through it pass/ and there the heav’n espy.” Thanks for reminding us to look up!
I just like this a lot… good job Kaimi! Indeed, there is beauty all around, even the “ugliness of pessimist thoughts”. However negative it try to present a concept, still the inner force is still good and beautiful.
Thanks a lot, though.
Elizabeth #11 – I have never been to Rotterdam but I can appreciate your feelings about “being in the nature.” However, some time ago I gave a talk about recognizing the beautiful things of the earth. Having grown up in southeastern Idaho and transplanting myself to the east coast later in life I noted that I had been fortunate in my life to watch the sunrise on the Atlantic Ocean and set on the Pacific. I had witnessed the lush wheatfields on the rolling hills of the Palouse Empire of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho and marvelled at the vast wheatfileds on the Kansas plains. I had baked in the sun of the desert Southwest and I had experienced the quiet solitude of a snowfall in the Rocky Mountains. I had also experienced the magnificant beauty of an Appalachian Spring and Autumn. But I noted that I was equally overwhlemed standing on a rooftop, gazing at the urban fabric of the city of Baltimore with its Mary Poppins-type scenery. There is beauty everywhere we look if we will simply open our eyes.
Don’t roses that bloom beneath the feet get trampled?