Beauty

I have always liked this prayer, ever since I heard it read at a funeral when I was on sabbatical in Rhode Island almost twenty years ago. (How is that even possible???)

I realize today, looking out on the snow that has whitened our yard the last couple of days, that it is largely up to me whether I see beauty or not. The snow is just snow. I can see the beauty in it, the way it softens the sharp edges of the wood piled up in the back, the way it softens the sounds, the way it makes the day brighter when the sun breaks through.

Or I can see the annoyance of sidewalks and decks to be cleared, of roads that must be traveled with greater care, the way even small errands become hassles.

So many people in our world today, even in our nation and our neighborhoods perhaps, see only ugliness and danger around them. I do not say they are projecting some inner ugliness. There is danger  and ugliness in the world. I only wish for them the ability to open their eyes to see more than just the ugliness, the danger-- to see the beauty.

I am reminded of this quote from Fred Rogers:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping"

 News stories about Ebola, for example, can frighten us because of danger. Or they can inspire us because ordinary men and women choose to place themselves at risk, even of the real risk of death, in order to help those who suffer.

They walk in beauty.