Images surround us. Magazines, movies, and billboards teem with blemish-free faces and sculpted bodies. They harshly whisper: purchase products, lose weight, and physically change. But that's not real beauty. Beauty works its way inside out. Beauty finds itself in kindness, imperfection, vulnerability, and presence.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross keenly describes this idea: "The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."
The darkness adds to our light. The pain makes more visceral our freedom. Our sadness is a sign of great love. There is beauty in us all. But it doesn't just happen (and it doesn't come in a bottle). When we honor the struggle, we more clearly see our own unique light. We more clearly see our beauty and the beauty of others.
Our sadness is a sign of great love.
ReplyDeletethis made me weep.
All love,
Pam
Perfectly beautifully stated!
Deletepam and wendy, you are two of the beautiful people in my life. thanks for being you.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if my first comment went through. I shared your post today on my FB timeline. Are you on FB btw?
ReplyDeleteLove your friend Tracie
hi, tracie. how kind of you to share my post. i'm not on fb. (i know myself well enough to stay away; i already spend more time online than i like.) happy friday to you!
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