Being Fully Present

Have you seen beauty today?  Have you felt beauty today?

I hear many people grumbling about how cold it is, or why it’s snowing again, or how tired they are of gray skies.  It seems they’ve had enough of winter and they are hoping for spring to arrive early.

Even in the dead of winter, there is beauty to be found - if you are being fully present to the possibility of that beauty.  See it with your eyes.  Feel it with your heart.  Don’t wish it away before you notice it’s here.

Take a few minutes and stand perfectly still next to a window and watch the snow fall.  Gently, quietly; pure white, glistening in the sunlight.  Snowflakes. Beautiful.

I bought a bunch of daffodils on Sunday.  Three bunches, actually!  They stand tall in a vase in my family room.  I smile every time I look at them.  Such a pretty shade of yellow.  Simple flowers.  Beautiful.

We try to get together with our children each weekend.  There is nothing so heartwarming as sitting down to dinner and hearing them discuss their jobs, business ventures, friends, and even different opinions on current events.  Family.  Beautiful.

I had an opportunity to lend an ear to a co-worker going through a difficult health issue.  She wasn’t knowingly seeking it, but she needed some compassion and empathy.  Listening with your heart.  Beautiful.

I stopped at the store the other day to buy some greeting cards.  A little further down the aisle was a little girl “helping” her Mom pick out a birthday card for Daddy.  A child’s enthusiasm and love.  Beautiful.

Everyday, ordinary events all around us are filled with beauty.  Can you see it?  Do you feel it?