"If you ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it...
But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life."
Frank Llyod Wright
Wise words for sure - they were on the front of a card that arrived in the mail from a friend and I've been looking at them for days without really reading them.
It seems like more and more, we ignore the beauty around us. We don't have time to see it. We complain, we judge, we whine, we fight. In the meantime, beauty is everywhere around us, but we miss it.
This has been a dark winter for many of us. From the moment I heard the news from Sandy Hook, CT through this past weekend when the local high school theatre club had to withdraw from a festival they had been preparing for due to some flukey assault on their stomachs (cause still being determined!), there has been challenge after challenge after challenge. I'm tired of it.
I want to shake myself and begin finding the beauty. The communities that have been inspired to fight for the safety of not only our children, but all children. The friends and family who have been there for us as we have faced struggles and loss. The snow, the sunshine, the dog that needs to be close.
I want to be intentional about "investing" in beauty. I want to sing more. I want to actually plant some flowers this Spring. I want to really see my daughters when they are joyful and happy and engaged rather than only noticing when they are being challenging.
Perhaps if our government officials spent more time "investing" in the beauty of our country instead of bickering and backstabbing and generally behaving badly, they would set an example for all of us. Investing in education and early childhood and families. Investing in local businesses and communities. Supporting and strengthening from the ground up rather than dripping down from the top.
I'm going to go notice the sun shining outside before the snow begins again - maybe I'll even try to appreciate the beauty of a few snowflakes this time around.
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