Beauty

Autumn has always been my favorite.  In 1998 I was in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the fall.  It may not be a surprise to some, but Oklahoma did not present the beautiful color display that I grew up with.

I remember flying in to Detroit that fall and being picked up by my then-boyfriend.  We drove thru the city and slowly got back out in to the country.  The colors on the trees were extraordinary!  I knew I had always loved the beauty of the fall season.  But that year, that moment, it was truly like I was seeing it all for the first time.  My then-boyfriend looked at me like I was a little nuts when I got so excited seeing the same scene that I’d seen all my life.  The same boy now knows that in the fall, we are going for a ride to see the colors on the trees ❤

I’ve thought about that moment of seeing those trees several times since then.  You hear to “stop and smell the roses” as practical life advice.  There is a difference between smelling the roses and breathing them in, letting them fill your soul and become a part of you in that moment in life!

Since that day I especially try to stop and notice the beauty of the world around me.  I know I don’t always.  But I try.   As far as scenery, I love hills.  Around my house, there aren’t really a lot of hills.  There are lots of open fields.  I see the field beauty too, even when they aren’t the hills that I prefer.  Some days I look out over the fields and feel so blessed to see such wide open spaces!

When I see new beautiful sights I wonder if the people who see them every day can see how beautiful they are.  Or maybe they get used to the sights, and they just don’t shine like they used to.  Today we wandered away from home and saw some beautiful sights!  I found myself wondering about the houses that looked at the gorgeous views.  I wonder what the people do that live there.  Do they wake up every morning and breathe in the picturesque scene in front of them?  Or is it just the same old, same old to them?

Tonight I am thankful for the beauty that is around all of us every day.  Some days I don’t see it.  I do try to remember to look!  Thankfully today was easier to see natural beauty in a place I had never seen before.  It was beautiful!