“There is heartbreaking beauty everywhere. If you get good at anything this year, let it be learning how to sit under a tree and look at the clouds.”
―Theron Humphrey
The photo stopped me in my scroll, but it was the sentiment underneath that really made me think.
Get good at learning how to sit under a tree and look at the clouds.
I loved that so much. It doesn’t say, “make more time for” appreciating Beauty. It says get good at it. Like, actually be consistently intentional about fine-tuning our marveling skills.
I want to get good at that. Marveling and being appreciative of the heartbreaking beauty everywhere.
Friends, I’d love it if you’d share a simple, beautiful sight, sound or sensation you’ve experienced recently too. A kind exchange. A big klunky lab. A moment in the sun. Just something simple you noticed (maybe amidst the not-so beautiful? or amidst pain?) that made you feel grateful and/or Loved. I may ask you weekly from now on so we can get really good at it together. 😉
Hope your Thursday is fantastic, dearies!
Layla
I love this….the birds are always singing, but yesterday morning I stopped and watched this one little guy that perches on the peak of the house and then the barn to sing his heart out…birds come & go…chirp a little, but he sings and sings. I’d say he is full of life, xo
Heartbreaking beauty! So awesome it hurts!
Even finding beauty in the pain.
Looking at nature and thinking, Wow! He did this…for me! So much to soak in!
Every time I go to Walmart, I intentionally enter through the garden center just to soak up all the beauty as I slowly stroll inside!
Makes me happy!
My son is 15 months old. He has been having so much fun walking and exploring. This morning he peeked his head around the corner and just beamed at me. He is such a gift. Thank you God for Matthew 🙂
I love this. I want to keep my eyes open for the beauty He’s placing in front of and around me. Today, it’s the rain clouds. And when they finally drop their bounty, it will be the sound of the drops on the roof and the rumble of thunder I will delight in!
The sound of the chainsaw in the background and listening to the birds sing all around my garden. X
Last night’s full moon had me awestruck. I don’t remember ever seeing anything so beautiful!
This post made me smile, as did all of the comments! SO thankful that He gives us so much good! <3
I’m amazed by all the different colors of green. Green sounds like a mundane color and it’s everywhere but when you take time to notice the trees leafing out in spring the number of colors of green is astounding! And I have my own little representation of this in my freshly planted herb garden. Each one is a different color of green and they really pop against the newly added rich black dirt/compost mix added to the bed. Only God could be responsible for the awesome variety in nature.
How timely! I just posted a picture that made me feel exactly like this on my Instagram…I walked outside the other night at dusk and stopped in my tracks….The color of the sky through the trees, the color of the new green grass, the lighting on our barn, and to top it off the frogs chirping….i was overcome by it all and just stood there and took it all in…The best part? When I tried to describe it a person posted that my wording made her feel like she was there…that made my day..that I could share that feeling….thank you for sharing this……
Oh my list could go on and on! Each day, I try to find something beautiful and stop to admire it. Just a moment. Just something to remind me of the things that make up the time/world i’m not in work 🙂 Today- it was the perfect kelly green of the leaves on the maple tree in my neighbors’ yard. Spring comes late here in Boston and it’s been a cool, overcast week, so the bright blue of the morning sky, the perfect marshmallow white of the clouds coming in (more rain this weekend :() and the kelly green of those leaves. and the subtle tone-on-tone that you see when they move in the breeze. it was just the moment i needed before i hopped into the car to go to work. Yesterday, i stood in our parking lot and watched a hawk soar. A dark brown predator up against a mottled gray sky, swooping and diving… it was lovely to watch and appreciate the power and elegance in his movements.
If i didnt’ have these moments each day, my life would be very hard.
15 years ago God blessed my husband and I with the ability to purchase a beautiful, wooded 11 acres with a 2 acre pond/lake on it. We often sit by the water and watch the water (which always seems to be different) and all of the wildlife while we fish. Last night, while we were sitting on one of the docks, 2 Canada Geese flew directly over our heads (I thought they were going to hit me in the head) and landed on the water. Such an amazing thing to watch! Over the years we have watched several goose families raise their young, along with several families of Wood Ducks. We see red fox, deer, an amazing array of birds, an occasional turkey family, and so much more.
Just returned from a trip to California. It was my first visit. There is stunning beauty wherever you look….trees, mountains, ocean. It was sad, though that a good many of the residents there worshipped the beauty of their surroundings instead of the One who created them. God is the most amazing artist!
As a long time Californian, I agree that we love and appreciate the beauty of our surroundings. The mountains, ocean, desert, it’s all awesome. Most Californians I know (haven’t met them all yet 🙂 love the God presence in our lives as well… Come back soon!
Layla, I’m that person who calls people up to go out and look at the moon when it’s especially outstanding. I hope that’s how I’m remembered at my funeral some day…the moon lady… but I digress.
My husband loves bluebirds. He has a little house for them where they make a nest or two or three during the warmer months and we watch as they take care of each other and send their babies out into the world. He even buys meal worms for them and puts out a few each day on a fence post. The most amazing thing is happening. As he walks out there the male will land above him on a wire and after he leaves the male will swoop down, grab a worm and take it to the female. But when he lands in the little opening I can hear the babies chirp like crazy. They are so glad to see him! Sadly, because my husband doesn’t hear well anymore I have to tell him how happy they are because he can’t hear that sweet chirping. My husband will even comment on what good parents they are…. if you could see my big burly husband you would understand why I find this so endearing….
We sit out on the back porch almost every evening enjoying all the birds, the clouds, the sunshine, the moon….I used to snicker at the older members of my family who spent a lot of time in a rocking chair on the porch when I was young. Little did I know what a blessing it would be to someday do the same thing.
I live in the Midwest and have most my life. Still I am amazed with the changes every season. I walk with my kids and say, “look how pretty the trees are” or “the snow is glistening” or “the blooming flowers” and they always say, “we know mom, you say it constantly!” But I want them to be good at it too!
I love it all, but sunsets, sunrises, and a full moon get me every time. I have to stop and look no matter where I am. I remember once walking out of the car dealership at the very moment the sun was setting and the sky was a brilliant orange. Everyone, salesmen and customers, stopped what they were doing to see. Only God can do something like that!!
My friends always comment that they don’t think they could sit and “do nothing” as much as I do! LOL! Little do they know that I am “doing” in my own way. I see, listen, smell and feel all that I am surrounded by every day. It’s my way of being calm when my inner self is bombarding within. I relish in staring at the sky, or trees; in hearing birdsong and squirrel chatter. Smelling fresh cut grass, a flower or feeling the breeze touch my skin. I don’t have to “get good at it,” because I have done this for as long as I can remember! I guess it comes with being the youngest child of all my brothers,sister and cousins, who shooed me away from play. I spent my time with the “old folks” sitting on the porch, or alone on a blanket in the shade, just me, myself and I. AND GODS GLORY.
As I sit in the carpool line to pick up my children from school, I adore watching all the other kids walking by and I marvel at how God made each one unique.
I am experiencing being a gran for the first time. I am 51 years old and don’t feel like I assumed my mother felt when she became a grandmother. I am in awe of the feelings that were already there before this life came into the world. Our son is in the military and is going through in-processing in Missouri to move from Alaska to Hawaii. Thankfully for us, the military packed up his wife in Alaska so she and our grandson has moved to Alabama to stay with us until they are moved to Hawaii. We visited when our grandson was born but thought we wouldn’t see him again for at least six weeks. What a blessing to have them living in our house and being able to hold and savor this new baby everyday for the past three weeks! The flutter in my heart and the warm feeling of gratitude touches me every night as I rock and give this grandson his bottle. And the smiles! The smiles just melt my heart every time! So surprised at the blessing and caught off guard by the love. Savoring every moment!
I become a gran at 58 for the first time in October…..they live five hours away…..I cannot wait and this confirms it will be so beautiful and amazing.
Recently, a hummingbird made her nest in a tree on my front porch. For a few weeks I watched the progression of new life, from two tiny eggs to babies taking flight. It was a most joyous experience. While the mama was ever cautious of me, the babies weren’t. As one baby flew from the nest in front of me, it made a little chirping-like sound, as if to say goodby. So sweet and amazing!
I find myself staring up at the sky each evening. The glow of the moon, the feeling of peace, the way the clouds look so perfect in the moonlight, the way the stars are just starting to come out. Love it 🙂
My mother is in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s. She cannot remember anything that happens on a daily basis, she has only vague recall of the past, but thankfully still recognizes all of her family (even her 5 month old great granddaughter). She has a cell phone but almost never answers when I call. Yesterday I JUST missed a call from her. I called right back and it went immediately to voicemail. I’m so thankful I missed that call. You see she left me a voicemail. In it she said, “Hey Kathy, I was just laying in bed thinking about you so I thought I would give you a call”. Did you catch that? She was THINKING about me! I will keep that voicemail for the day that she no longer knows my name or recognizes my face. But what a blessing to know that while it is possible, I’m the one she is thinking about!
I love this. ❤️
Love this too!
I cherish and am renewed by all the time I spend in natural settings.
My husband and I are blessed to live by a pond. We watch as the geese fly in and out during the seasons. We enjoy watching the baby baby geese, and even a blue heron as it landed on the top of a huge pine tree. What marvels are in the world if we only would take a minute to look. Thanks for sharing! Blessings
on the way home from the boyfriend’s house (he is in connecticut and i am in pennsylvania), my gps told me to take exit 20 when i knew i should stay on the familiar route. instead of doing the same old thing, i went for the adventure. along the way i saw signs for a pottery place and asked god how far out of the way it would be. almost immediately i then saw a sign saying it was two miles ahead as my gpd told me to turn in one mile. of course i went the extra mile to the pottery place! turns out it sits on amazing property in the pocono mountains. after shopping (such great scores!) i put my treasures in the vehicle and walked across their swinging bridge into their park. adorable! (http://www.holleyross.com/park.htm)
all of this is to say that the sights, sounds, and sensations i felt that surprise afternoon filled my heart with great joy and to suggest that sometimes one needs to get lost. 🙂
p.s. i love that instagram account! maddie is such a wonderful pup!
A single perfect polka dotted feather on the ground waiting for me to find it on yesterday’s dog walk. It was as if God placed it there to make me smile and think about how the smallest of things bring joy.
Your comment transported me, Dana. Thank you so much for sharing it! 🙂
Driving to grab lunch on Tuesday, the dairy cows around the corner were in my favorite hilly field. I stopped my car and rolled down the window to say hi (I’m crazy, I know), and about ten of them walked up to the fence and starting mooing at me. I like to think they were returning the greeting. Made my day 🙂
I’ve done that same thing, Kerri. You’re not crazy. You’re a MARVELER!!! So glad you shared this comment today! 😀
I have thyme groundcover growing in a flowerbed next to my driveway. My husband I planted some a few years ago during an insane heat wave and I thought the plants were definitely going to die. They’ve now spread to cover about half of the flower bed and for the past few weeks they’ve been flowering tiny purple covers. It makes me smile every time I see it and makes want to take off my shoes and walk on it because it’s so soft.
The sight of the leaves finally emerging on the gigantic Red Maple tree in my Canadian front yard…..I thought spring would never get here hahaha!
My son (a catcher on his Little League team) picking up the opposing batter’s bat from the ground after a hit that went foul and handed it back to him. His simple, sportsmanlike gesture is beautiful.
I had surgery for a broken ankle. The most beautiful thing is our 14 year old Red Lab has not left my side. The true unconditional love of an animal is the best feeling ever. 🙂
I have a beautiful orange honeysuckle in full bloom just outside my office window. It’s like a huge flower pot to look at all during the day.
Since I’ve never mastered the art of “relaxing,” this was the perfect post. I have always been amazed by clouds. On a beautiful sunny day, they are the perfect landscape. I look up and find them awe-inspiring. It takes my breath away from all that I have been focusing on and reminds me of the wonderful life we’ve been given. When my kids were little, we’d find shapes in those clouds. And now, I just look up and marvel that we live in such a beautiful world.
After lots of busy nights… cleaning up after dinner and hearing my husband play with our girls. Felt so good to be home and all together 💕
My 10 year old son reaching up and grabbing my hand while we walked through Disney the past 2 days. I know these days are going to quickly come to an end, and I savored it every time I felt his little hand grab mine.
Ben’s Bells. I found one. Check them out and spread some kindness. BensBells.org. I have nothing to do with them but so cool to find one
I had a lovely chat with an older couple in a store yesterday that ended with a hug. It was just one of those moments where you realize how many kind and wonderful people there are in the world.
“Mist on the mountain
Rising from the ground
There’s no denying beauty makes a sound
We can’t escape it
There’s no way to doubt
Mist on the mountain rising all around”
Lyrics from
TESTIFY
NEEDTOBREATHE
Spring amazes me every year, we live with this bleak and bare landscape all winter, which seems to just go on forever, then all of a sudden these leaves and flowers start blooming and before I know it everything is green and lush again, birds are fluttering everywhere gathering food for their babies, the days get longer, and the air smells of all kinds of different flowers, right now I have lilacs and lily of the valley scenting the air. It’s intoxicating.
Two days before Christmas I lost my best friend, my mom. She was the most loving and forgiving person I have ever known. As an avid and talented artist she loved taking time to enjoy the beauty in the world that God has given us. We knew it would be any time for my mom. I awoke on the 23rd and prayed to God to please not let my mother suffer. Immediately I heard a beautiful soft sweet bird singing outside my window, not common where I live in the winter. Then I received the call from my sister that mom had passed. It happened at the same time I was listening to the bird singing. Mom, like her mother loved birds. God’s beauty and mercy gave me the comfort and reassurance I needed. Today, my birthday, my hope and prayer is that I will always take time for the beautiful gifts that God has given to me.
The picture that greeted me this morning as I was waking up of my beautiful daughter’s growing belly. My grandson is due in October and it is going to make all of our lives so much fuller. I can’t wait to just be quiet and listen to his sounds and drink them in to remember for a lifetime.
The most beautiful, breath-taking part of my week was seeing the smile that can light up a room offered by a child in our neighborhood who was hit by a car a few weeks ago. First her life was in question. Then they thought she would lose one leg plus the foot off the other. BUT GOD stepped in. She still has a long road but she is healthy and whole. She giggled with me and I sang to her the song that Lord has me declaring over her as a promise that “Honour’s bones will dance again!” You see, she is a dancer who dreams of owning her own studio one day. I believe she will. I can SEE her dancing in my mind’s eye.
Honour, your bones WILL dance again sweet girl. Keep believing.
As always, the lap of the waves from the ocean when they hit the beach (where we go in Florida, the waves come in pretty soft) and the tinkling of that wave going over broken shells as it goes back home. Also the seagull squawking as it flies by us.
Mom and Dad have been married 63 years. He has dementia and she is his caregiver. Mom was recently diagnosed with diabetes and we were sitting at the kitchen table trying to get blood to test her sugar. She had stuck herself 7 times and her fingers were really hurting. Dad can’t remember that she has diabetes or that something is wrong with her, but all of a sudden he stuck out his finger and said “Here take my blood so Mom doesn’t hurt anymore!” How precious is that? Needless to say, Mom and I both were crying….
Today. At my 91 year old dads funeral. It is a sunny and cool day. a United States Navy officer played taps, while two others folded the flag on his casket. One officer presented me with the folded flag. He looked me in the eye and said special things. Oh, my heart. This very day.
Layla, I have a 3 yr old special needs grandson. I spent this past week helping care for him. He is speech delayed, but I loved listening to him tell everyone, “night, night” as he was going to bed. His “night, night” echoes in my head when I go to bed each night.
Last week I took my 3 month old daughter out to a shady spot in the backyard. I laid down on the grass with her back on my belly, and I pointed to the leaves on the trees above us. I told her about the blue sky, the green grass, and the breeze on our faces, and gave her twigs to hold. I hope she will learn to love being outside in this beautiful world and take time to be still.
Planting two Magnolia trees in our front yard this week and being filled with joy every time I walk by the window or pull into the driveway and see them!
Family Hugs. When My husband and I hug in front of our almost 4 year old and he comes running over, joins us and says “family hug”. I’m going to get good at making this happen more often!
A few years ago, my dad, sister, her dog, and I decided to try to climb Mt. Elbert, in Colorado. We got a good way up when my sister started lagging behind. She wasn’t feeling well. Dad stayed with her for a while but sent me on ahead. I had walked quite a ways and passed the 12k mark when I decided to stop watching my feet (I’m a bit of a klutz) and actually look up. Except for the sound of the slight breeze, it was absolutely quiet up there. No one was within my line of sight. I was alone. And yet, I wasn’t. My God was there and I had to cry. The other peaks around me were gorgeous. The flowers covering Elbert took my breath away. The distant lakes and ponds beautifully mirrored the fluffy white clouds. I couldn’t not cry. And when I finally found my voice to thank God for that lovely moment, I heard a squeak. I had been so still for so long that a marmot walked right up to me. I couldn’t have asked for a better moment.
We were waiting to be seated on Mother’s day and my three kids were all sitting in a row on a bench, just looking around, waiting (patiently too). And I just stared at them for a long time, marveling in their existence. How did they even get here?? Being a parent is a trip!