“Beauty is something you are”…and the unexpected event that taught me that.
Today, Luke and I went to a fundraiser for the Clarksville school system. It was called Stuff the Bus and was an effort to collect school supplies for students and teachers in need. We were so fortunate to be a part of the day and to give back to our community in that way. I have included some pictures from the day but they will not do justice to the life lesson that came with today…read on for more…
I am simply in awe of Luke. Despite some otherwise “not-so-nice” people who he came in contact with during the fundraiser, he stayed the course and NEVER stopped trying or lost his spirit. He just kept saying “It’s hot and some people don’t want to give. That’s ok. It’s for those kids and I am not going to stop asking”. As I watched, his uncompromised determination turned into something extraordinary. People would walk out of the store with a single bottle of glue or a ruler. People who had little or nothing themselves were inspired to give what they could. Some people came out with bags full of supplies and others a single item…but their acts were all beautiful. Luke would never say it and may even be a little embarassed that I am blogging about it…but by just being who he is, he inspired beauty in people.
Beauty isn’t something you find…It is something you are.
Growing up, my mom would spend hours on the beach searching for small shells that she called her “beauties”. These shells were found in the big sand dunes full of the broken shells that washed onto the beaches. These were the dunes that people just stepped over as they were heading to the shore to find other shells. Perhaps that would have been easier. Not my mom though. She would sit and dig…and dig… hours…only to find one beauty that had survived the crashing waves and beach. It was worth it to her. She never lost her spirit or became discouraged while digging because it didn’t matter how long it took to find one… because finding one perfect beauty was worth all the effort to get there.
I have talked a lot about my mom over the year of blogging on this site. Perhaps, knowing how she spent many of her hours “digging for beauties” will help you know her. As she always had a way of doing, her peaceful, calm and effortless way of understanding this world was showcased in some of the most simple actions…and sometimes it took me a while to see them in that way. Today, I saw how searching for those shells was a perfect metaphor for who she is…someone who doesn’t walk by the broken shells, she spends all the time it takes to find the beauties within them.
Beauty isn’t something you find…It is something you are.
Two very seperate and otherwise unremarkable life events have connected themselves over the distance of time today. Two people who I love more than life itself taught me about real beauty. It is everywhere….you just have to dig through some broken shells and empty hearts to find it…but when you do…you have found something extraordinary.
One To Call a Beauty
She spent hours on the beach
Digging for Beauties
So much time spent with broken shells
Only to find one to call a beauty
He spent hours in the sea of people
Asking for Kindness
So much time spent with empty hearts
Only to find one to call a beauty
Through Broken Shells and Empty Hearts
You have taught me
Beauty isn’t just something you find
It is something you are.
