Do you readily notice beauty in the world?
I’m not sure I always do – at least not immediately. Often it’s after I reflect back on something or my encounter with someone that I can be struck by beauty.
In contrast, my young twins see beauty everywhere they look.
And what’s more, they point it out with loud words and big gestures every time they encounter it.
They see beauty in things I would also find beautiful, but they go further and see it in things I would perhaps instinctively deem ugly.
They often show me a new way of looking at the world.
Recently, the twins took me on a tour of their room. I was aghast by how many items from our recycling bin had made it into their room over the course of a week. “Don’t worry, mom. We made sure it was clean!” they said as they caught me staring woefully at a used pizza box.
I maneuvered through the crowded floor and leaned against one of their beds trying really hard to take a breath and hold my tongue and wait for their explanation.
“Mom, this is my friend – octopus. He lives sometimes in the sea,” one said as he gestured to the “sea” which included a bunch of clothes and balled up paper. “… and sometimes he lives on my bed with his other friends.” This time he gestured to a sea of stuffed animals and smaller cardboard boxes arranged just so.
“And this…” the other one shouted not to be left out, “Is spidey! He makes webs all over the place. He mostly stays above the sea!”
Both spidey and the octopus looked a lot like the Amazon boxes I thought I broke down last week.
“Boys… this is all nice but…”
“No, mom,” they uttered almost simultaneously… “it’s beautiful!”
I guess I should say, I do make my boys clean up their room periodically… and they do a nice job when they do.
But despite the anxiety their messy room often brings me, I love their ability to find beauty in almost anything… and so I let it slide a little.
After all, for me, traveling awhile with them for in their world is like feeling God come close.
Because when God looks around, God sees beauty too and joyfully celebrates its presence… even when we fail to do the same.
