Beauty

I am a photographer. Most people don’t know that about me.  I love seeing beauty, which most people can’t see. A little over a year ago I embarked on a journey to help others see the beauty that I saw. So I wrote, “In Search of Beautiful”, a book to help others find the glimpses that make my heart beat fast.

We can be so focused on our day-to-day struggles that we miss moments that would take our breath away. We yell at our children and forget that they are gifts from God. We grow so frustrated by our spouses that we loose sight of the fact that not long ago we were longing to have them annoy us. We complain about jobs that we once prayed for. We can too easily ignore that fact that even though we criticize our country, we live in a country that you can criticize. YES, I have been guilty of all of these lapses in appreciation!

We can all be so quick to look at what is not, that we miss what is. We can be so focused on what we want that we grow blind to the beauty trying to grab our attention every moment. Shame on us all, but it is a part of the human condition. I am the first to admit that I can be distracted by life’s little disappointments.

One day a good friend called me and asked, “Hey man, why don’t you come and take some pictures of my flowers. Initially, I was thinking, absolutely not! Then I thought, why not. I am so glad I did, because one of my best photos came from his simple request. Now it is the cover art for my book. Beauty was right around the corner, I just needed to get up and look for it. That is why I named the photo, Dewell Flower in honor of my friend who gave me a glimpse of beautiful in his front yard. May it serve as a reminder that beauty is never very far.  

“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3