Creating Beauty

I love what Alice Walker said in the quote above. I have made a commitment to leaving a trail of beauty wherever I find myself. Some days that evidence is clearer than others. Yet what I am finding in the every day is "whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul." 

My soul is indeed restored in the midst of the efforts I make to create beauty. Those attempts, whether they are successful every single time or not, are getting my eyes of myself and enabling me to direct my gaze onto others. I can create beauty in a myriad of ways, from drawing, to writing, to embellishing a photo I have taken so it becomes a message in addition to an image.  

Beauty is so subjective, and yet at the same time it is impossible to put beauty in any kind of box. I love how I can literally find beauty in everything -- especially when I have attuned my heart, my eyes and my mind to look for it. We were discussing this concept briefly during my Bible study last night, and what we all concluded is that when we are anticipating seeing the hand of God at work, we can't help recognizing it. When I eagerly seek him and His beauty in my day, He never hesitates to offer me ample opportunities to appreciate what He has created. 

So, you may be asking, how does this look in concrete terms, something I can get my brain around? 

Let's see . . . Here are just a few ways God has revealed beauty in my life recently and enabled me to create some of my own:

1. Dancing leaves. Don't you just love when you are driving and the leaves do a little dance on the road ahead of your car? I do. 

2. Dancing. Yes, I know I just mentioned it, but this one has to do with me dancing with my kids around the island in our kitchen. Oh, you haven't done this in awhile . . . Or ever? You may want to change that right quick! It may not look exactly like what they do on Dancing With The Stars, but the stream of giggles is a beauty all its own. 

3. A Thank You note. A timely handwritten (yes, on real paper) note of appreciation is a beautiful, if somewhat archaic concept. I am a huge proponent of good manners, and this one is a practice I have diligently schooled my children in over the years. I want them to have character in so many areas of their lives, and this simple gesture is one that extends beauty lasting well beyond the gift they received. 

4. Painting. I love to draw, paint, and doodle. I hope just a little bit of my work manages to leave beauty behind along the way. 

5. Light. I am keenly aware that each day is shorter right now, right up until my almost 15-year-old's next birthday on December 21. I guess that's why I find myself even more alert to the changes in light. Yesterday, on the way to Bible study, the light was streaming from behind my car onto the hills covered in trees ahead of me. It was a glorious light show of color, of texture, of depth and vibrancy. I was caught off guard by this scene that only lasted for the briefest of moments. All the elements necessary for that exact picture blended together into the harmonious beauty I witnessed. I wasn't expecting it, but I was oh so glad I saw it!

What instances of beauty do you notice in your every day events? How does the beauty you see prompt you to create your own expressions of beauty? 

Let me know in the comments, please!

On His  Adventure~

Pam 

Ridiulously Silly

I mentioned yesterday how I have chosen to start each day with the intention of making it ridiculous -- or at least to the level of crazy that I can get away with and still have a family who will talk to me as well as accompany me out in public.

Overall, my philosophy consists of this:

• Live life ridiculously. We only get once chance to make the most of every day.
• Leave a trail of beauty/fun/merriment and whimsy everywhere you go, because so many people are way too serious, and it is way easier to be joy-filled than growly anyway.
• Why not be the best interaction someone's had all day rather than add to the burdens they already carry?

Can I tell you some of the benefits from adopting this kind of attitude? First off, it gets my mind off myself. I am looking for opportunities to brighten someone else's day, bring joy if even for only a moment, and see how I can love people like Jesus does.

Secondly, it makes me less conscious of how others see me. It loosens my inhibitions in a good way. People respond to kindness in one common and fairly predictable fashion -- with more kindness. Sure, not everyone is about being smiled and waved at by someone they don't know. I had one person yesterday who just averted their eyes at my friendliness.

Just one.

Everyone else I initiated with responded with a big smile and a wave back. Today I brought a smile to the face of a poor guy who was riding in the back of a pickup truck. His wave was vigorous, I must say!

People may think I am someone they know, but guess what? If they drive away bumfuzzled at my open, genuine expression of joy at living and kindness toward them -- another person sharing this big world -- I figure that can't be a bad thing. They were noticed. They experienced joy for a second in what may have been an otherwise humdrum or plain, old burden-filled day.

I am the first person to say how life gets in the way of building connections with others. I am naturally an introvert. I can go days without interacting with anyone but my own children and not really miss being in touch with anyone else. Yet, after moving around as much as we have in the past few years, I know what it feels like to be invisible. I know what it feels like to be ignored, overlooked and left out by those I thought were heart friends, family, and people in the Christian community in general.

I am only one person, but I know I can make a difference. I can reach out through my silliness and through putting my own fears and worries aside and take notice of the people who cross my path each day -- sometimes for only a second. It's not all that hard, and the burst of joy I find in the ridiculousness of it all makes up for any uncertainty that breezes through my little head occasionally.

How about you? Can you embrace the ridiculous and take a chance at making someone's day? What are ways you can leave a trail of beauty in the place you've been planted?

On His Adventure~
Pam

Crafted to Create

We were created with an inherent ability to create. Our Creator God made sure of that in His unique crafting of each one of us.

Don't get me wrong, I get traits handed down to me from my earthly father. I laugh like him. I have a corny sense of humor like he does. I am not a big fan of tags in my shirts or clothing that itches me. I love fresh corn and tomatoes from the garden just like he does, especially from his garden. I used to love a good cherry pie just like my dad likes, but now that these great folks are making Gluten Free pie crust I might just be able to make one we could both enjoy. More in another post about how living Gluten Free has helped me live a life filled with more beauty as well.

Back to what I was talking about. My dad and I are similar in many ways, and yet we are oh, so very different.  However, we were created by the same Creator. We are related genetically, and we are related spiritually. We love and serve the same God.

I've also clearly gotten traits from my Heavenly Father. Some are called spiritual gifts. I have the gift of mercy. I sometimes exercise the gift of discernment, though I'd like to employ that one more frequently. I didn't ask for these gifts, but my Father knew I would need them to make it through this journey I affectionately call life.

Others are talents I have seen develop over time and must be honed until they are allowed to see the light of day and sparkle on their own. In the very fabric of how we are woven together, God knew we would all exhibit His innate desire to create, to make something out of nothing, to weave words, pick up a paintbrush, scribble with chalk or crayons, hammer something, pound on metal, cut into glass, serve another, sew something to wear or to use, assemble something, mix something, stir something, or say something.

We all have it. The urge to leave our mark. We cannot escape it. It fulfills us. It satisfies us. It completes us.

Yours may not be the same as mine, but you must do it. You must pursue it. You cannot breathe fully without attempting, without trying, without going out on a limb, without doing . . . it. You know deep in your heart what IT is. You cannot explain it to anyone quite as clearly as you just feel it in the very pit of what makes you the wonderful you God created you to be. If you don't know what IT is yet, ask Him. Ask Him to reveal the thing that makes you you.

What is it you cannot do without? What is it that makes you feel most alive? What comes to you when you aren't even consciously thinking about anything and won't let you go? What is it? What urges you on to make your mark, live your passion, fulfill your dream? Examine all the details of what is in your heart and do it. Do it loud. Do it proud. Do it and be the very you God made you for in the first place. He will applaud . . . and you . . . you will cry with joy over His pleasure in you!

I know my heart is overflowing at allowing the words to fairly drip from the fingers flying across the keyboard. I am at home here. I love weaving words, and I love allowing God to orchestrate the words that come from my heart. He is the director, and I am the player. He is the essence of who I am, and I can't help but allow Him to speak through me. He knows me better than I know myself, and I plan to do more staying out of His way and letting Him walk ahead and lead me in the path He has for me.

Thanks for joining me on this wild ride!

On His Adventure~

Pam