When we saturate ourselves in the beautiful, soaking it in however we can, we receive a store of resource for creating Beauty ourselves. It is difficult to imagine and create Beauty if we have not received it first. Some people have an amazing capacity to sight and capture the smallest gem of Beauty sparkling among the ashes, while others can’t seem to recognize it when it is shining out in glory right in front of them.

I lived for a while in a home on a busy city thoroughfare. We could see the traffic light from our upstairs bedroom window, and we heard traffic all day long. One early morning, I noticed the sky was a glorious pink and gold, so I dragged a chair out to the high wall around our place so I could get a better view of the sky. I was filled with joy and wonder at the sight! The entire expanse, from horizon to horizon, was filled with brilliant color: bright pinks, soft apricot, brilliant, shining gold! It took my breath away!

But when I looked down into the busy street, I saw the buses pass by, and all the riders were looking down. They had those big windows right there next to them; they didn’t have to keep their eyes on the road to drive, and they were missing something so fleeting, so exquisite, so beautiful! What were they doing that could possibly top what was happening in the atmosphere around them? If only they had lifted their eyes! They would have been filled with wonder and with joy. What a serendipitous way to start one’s day, and they missed the opportunity!

Having a hunger for Beauty must be like having a sixth sense or a homing radar, constantly scanning the surroundings for sightings of Beauty. I wonder if we, once we have schooled our hearts in Beauty, are compelled to search for it, as for gold. I do know that Beauty always rewards its seeker with riches and opens a greater and greater capacity to both receive and create it.

The more we search for Beauty and find it, the greater our capacity grows. The greater our capacity, the greater the effect we will be able to make on the environment around us, creating a more winsome world.

“You will always reproduce the environment around you that you cultivate within you.” ~Kris Vallotton

Yours for the return of Grace, Civility, Beauty, Gentility, and Excellence,

Mary Alice