Where Beauty Can Be Found

A few weeks ago, I was attending service at my hometown church in New Mexico.  I was struck by so many different colors and hues as the sun shone through the stained-glass windows above the mantel and the fall leaf’s dropped off the trees in the outdoor garden nearby.

As I sat in silence listening to the church choir sing hymnals of my past, I began to realize that beauty is all around me.  I started to reflect on what other parts of my life display the kind of wonder that I was seeing inside that old church of mine.

I considered my family and all those that God has placed in my life, allowing me to be a part of something far greater than just my own existence; my blood family, my adopted family, and those that have helped shaped and influenced me.

I thought of my friends; those that have been such a huge part of my life – my classmates, teammates, shipmates, co-workers, close supporters near and far.  Those that have accepted me and loved me despite my faults, without judgment or scorn.

I pondered on all the places I’ve had the privilege of living and visiting throughout my life; from the great Southwest to the Pacific Norwest.  From my home-away-from-home state of Hawaii to the small village of Bucha, outside of Kyiv.  From Port-of-Prince, Haiti to the Great Wall of China.  God has blessed me immeasurably, allowing opportunities to travel to points near and far from home.

I contemplated elements immediately in front of me; my home life, my work life, my activities and interests.

In my reflection, I discovered that each part of my life holds beauty in some form or fashion.  There is beauty in the love that families share.  There is beauty in friendship and fellowship.  There is beauty in my own backyard and around the globe. There is beauty in the mere existence of my immediate surroundings.

I try to remain humble and thankful for the splendor that surrounds me each and every day.  Most times I take it for granted.  But when I have the opportunity to sit in the church I grew up in, see the sun display its’ brilliance and wonder in the windows nearby, and listen to the choir sing Halleluiahs, I cannot help but appreciate the beauty of my life.

A Common Man