All Around Beauty.Beauty All Around

“grown-ups always say that things are complicated.”
― Nicholas Sparks, A Bend in the Road

Life seems complicated at times. How can one week bring tragedy and turmoil, joy and elation, frustration and stress, simplicity and bliss? Seems to happen more often than not. I'm frequently complaining that we just can't settle in and have some consistency (the good things, of course).

Then, in one cathartic moment everything comes into focus. Miraculously it all makes sense and amidst all of the polaristic emotions something emerges that brings peace, understanding, and even gratitude for all of it. 

That moment came to me on Friday and Saturday when Bee and Pop had a little overnighter camping trip together. We managed to get one of the last spots at The Spruces, packed up the car, the cooler, and the camera... (oops... forgot the camera!) Took the short drive up lovely Big Cottonwood Canyon and pulled into #73. [Inhale]  Mmmm... the smell of pine (then we noticed the 4 foot diameter tree lying in the middle of our camp spot... free firewood!). A slight breeze rustling the quakies. The gurgling of a fresh spring just behind the tent. Really, this was all very beautiful, relaxing, and medicine to our souls.

Next actions: tent set up, fire (to cook the foil dinners), and fetch some water (oops, dodge the razor scooters on the camp road).

After that, just sitting by the fire and talking, and actually looking at and admiring my own personal 'all-around beauty', Alyson, while soaking in the beauty all around. Suddenly an amazing clarity came to me in the form of gratitude for a perfect life, a charmed life, given to me so undeservingly. What a place to live! What a partner to live with! Fantastic children, grandchildren, parents, and family, friends, gospel, neighborhood, music, freedom, job, home, cabin, even our wonderful old pet, Dixie.

It would be easy to make a list of all that I seem to have lost over the last few years, but I could never do that. It just wouldn't be fair, wouldn't even begin to balance the list of all that I have gained.

Every year at peach season, I'm reminded of how out of balance that equation of blessings vs. trials is. One seed, some water and sunshine, a little trimming here and there yields bushels and bushels and bushels of peaches for years and years. 

 

As we walked around Silver Lake on Saturday morning watching the ducks, fish, bugs... even the two bull moose, that clarity embedded even more deeply inside me. Nothing but gratitude and appreciation overcame me. I've sung it many times, 'Lord, give me the eyes to see exactly what it's worth, and I will be the richest man on earth.' Indeed, I am the richest man on earth.

Today I feel blessed to have

my all-around beauty

and beauty all around.

May you be blessed too!