Where Do You Find Beauty?

I told a friend recently that they should surround themselves with Beauty. I think I was in a poetic mood; perhaps, I was speaking metaphorically. Nevertheless, it made me think (as my random insights often do) about my own life.

This weekend as I traveled to Austin to attend my daughter's sorority's Mother-Daughter Weekend, I was delighted to see that the Indian Paintbrushes and Bluebonnets were all abloom.  I cannot remember the last time I traveled those roads at exactly the right moment to partake of the amazing sight of the orange and blue covered fields. Cars were parked along the highway as people got out of their cars to take photos among the flowers. I felt buoyed by the Beauty. I felt that the magical landscape somehow was a harbinger for what would be a lovely weekend. Beauty begets Beauty.

The Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950), once wrote: "Beauty is whatever gives joy."  I could not agree more. Sometimes, we put Beauty in this small box and she is so much larger, so much more interesting, than that. She is wild and wonderful, and she is all around us.

My daughter is  beautiful. Yes, she is a lovely looking young woman, but she is beautiful to me for so many other reasons. She is bright and brave and honest and real...and those are all beautiful adjectives. She has beautiful friends, but mostly, I see Beauty in the friendship they share. They care for and about one another.
They support each other. They laugh loudly and often. I have always felt that true friendship is one of the most beautiful things in my life. By surrounding myself with friends who truly know and care about me, I am surrounding myself with Beauty.

Emily w/Annika & Kate

Saturday night, the three girls and their mothers (and one aunt) all went to dinner. Later, I learned that Emily was a bit nervous about how it would all go. Just because these girls adore each other doesn't necessarily mean their mothers will feel the same. Also, Emily knows that I can be a tad shy in new social settings and I suppose she worried whether or not I'd be outgoing enough to make new friends. She needn't have worried! It was an easy evening filled with camaraderie and laughter. The common theme seemed to be gratitude. We were all grateful for our lovely, beautiful daughters. We were grateful that they had found such wonderful new friends. We were grateful that they wanted us to spend time with them, and we were grateful that the other mothers could recognize our own daughter's true Beauty.  After the evening, Emily marveled at what a great time we had all had.
As I drove back to Houston on Sunday, again surrounded by orange and blue and yellow wildflowers, I felt the truth in Edna St. Vincent Millays' words: "Beauty is whatever gives joy."
So friends--go forth today and surround yourself with BEAUTY!