The Persistence of Beauty

Waking to the blue-gray, early-morning light, I looked out my window and saw several inches of new snow that had fallen during the night.  My first reaction was to groan and go back to bed, wishing I could just hibernate until spring makes a return. But of course, I eventually got up, went outside and noticed anew the beauty of snow, as it blankets the muddy early spring grass.  I pushed back the frosty covering to reveal crocuses, still alive and beautiful beneath the covering of white. 

The birds, still singing, somehow know that this return to winter is only temporary and I breathe a sigh of thanks for them too. There is so much beauty, everywhere, even in the aftermath of a spring snowstorm, if we open our eyes to it. 

I realize that this is a habit of mind that we can cultivate...to see the small nugget of beauty in any situation and that this prayerful, thankful attitude can give us hope and strength in any situation.

I am suddenly reminded of a few lines from an older movie, "American Beauty", in which one of the main characters tries to explain why he likes to film random, beautiful moments as a way to adapt to his difficult life circumstances:

 "It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. Right? And this bag was just dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. That's the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in".

My thought and my prayer for today is a challenge, really: to find the beauty under the snow and in the way the morning light filters through the budded branches to reveal the hope and promise of spring...to trust in the "incredibly benevolent force" we call God, who assures us that we need not be afraid, ever.