Drink In Beauty

"We need to drink in beauty wherever we can get it - in music, in nature, in art, in a great meal shared.  These are all gifts to us from God's generous heart.  Friends, those things are not decorations to a life; they are what brings us life." From Waking the Dead

Wine that gladdens the heart of man, 

Oil to make his face shine,

And bread that sustains his heart.  Psalm 104:15

I need beauty.  We all do.  The unconscious desire for it moves me to take care in the decoration and arrangement of my home, create wholesome and delicious meals for my family, give thought to the clothes on my body.  Thankfully I am just as concerned about the less tangible beauty around me.  I desire that my heart and my children's hearts are full of love and compassion, peace and joy.  I hope that we all act with grace, and tenderness, and mercy.  I practice and model an awareness of the created beauty around us.  Most rides in the car involve a dialogue on the color of the sky, or the value of the sunlight, or the brilliance of the hayfield.  The most amazing thing about beauty is that it reveals to us a little more of who our Creator is, it moves our heart to awestruck praise and worship.

All creatures of our God and King,

Lift up your voice and with us sing,

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Thou burning sun with golden beam,

Thou silver moon with softer gleam,

O praise Him, O praise Him,

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Alleluia!

All Creatures of Our God and King  St Francis of Assisi

During Advent this year I was pondering Christmas's past.  One of my favorite memories was of our last Christmas in New York.  We had loaded up the family into the car to go out and get a Christmas tree.  It was late in the day, the sky was already dark, and too late to easily find a tree.  My memories are fuzzy about the practical details, I believe we had to go to a couple of places to find somewhere that was still open, there was frustration and probably a little anger.  But in the process of driving those dark country roads on that brisk winter night God blessed us with a brilliant show.  Aurora borealis, Northern lights.  As we slowed our pace down to witness the colorful sky, our attention was caught by a family of deer ever so slowing crossing the road and wandering off into the farm field next to us.  After the initial "Wow, did you see that!" We were all speechless.  My heart was filled with silent praise and gratitude for the gifts God had given us.  What beauty there was in the rich colors in that cold night sky.  How graceful and elegant were the dear as they moved in a carefully orchestrated group through the snowy field.  How full of wonder and peace were my children's  faces as we watched the glorious show.  Beauty reminds us of how rich a life we have.

Quite a few years later I was able to witness beauty of a very different kind.  In a land full of sunlight and heat, and to some extent dirt and human waste, I saw the beauty of joy in suffering, abundance in poverty, all in the faces of children.  As I met them, photographed them, was greeted by them, I was overwhelmed by the question in my heart "Why don't I cry?"  Why am I not overcome by the apparent hopelessness of their lives.  I still an praying for answers to that question, but I think part of it is that God gave me eyes to see their beauty.  The beauty of a human child created in His image.  The beauty of a heart filled with hope.  The beauty of a blossoming flower thriving in a coffee can planter, hung on the wall of a dirt home, in a sea of dirt "streets".  We all desire beauty, whether rich or poor, cold or hot, dark or light.

Father please give us eyes to see your beauty.  Hearts to drink it in.  Gifts to create beauty.  Thank you that beauty gives us life.