Real Beauty

Krista Tippet, in her Feb 23, 2013, blog for her NPR “On Being” program, offered John Donohue’s definition of beauty.  He said, “Real beauty is that, in the presence of which, we feel more alive”.

 



Photo by S. Nancy Bauer

Perhaps you have been enlivened by glimpses of nature’s real beauty these past weeks. In Minnesota, it has been sprouting leaves on winter-rested trees; bringing us patterns of familiar sounds from returning robins; encouraging sturdy spring flowers to poke their heads through last fall’s shriveled leaves, and gifting that beautiful forgotten smell of fresh rain on bone dry sidewalks, swept clean of winter’s ice-melting dust.

There also have been life-giving sightings of real beauty indoors.

·        The transpersonal connection, between an elderly sister and her care giver when mutual laughter emerged

·        The beauty of unbounded affection, as a five year old ran into the arms of his beloved great aunt

·        The life-giving-beauty of solidarity, as a tear-covered-face and encircling arms supported a family member during a difficult loss

 

Alive again, alive again, thank God I’m alive again!

 

As the Spirit again floods us with its transforming and life-giving light, may our eyes see in brighter hue the enlivening beauty that softens the soil of our hearts and emerges as a shout of spontaneous gratitude and praise or a delightful beauty-gasp.

 

Mary Rachel Kuebelbeck, OSB