Today is a cloudy day, both inside and out. That makes it a perfect day to look everywhere for beauty--in other people, in trees, in conversations, in wisps of music, even in the mirror. I will practice paying attention. Maybe I will be surprised by the kindness of a stranger or a fond childhood memory or the resonance of a well-loved voice or the laugh-wrinkles around someone’s eyes. Each time I see something beautiful, I will say a small thank-You. I won’t be denying the darkness. I am painfully aware, especially on cloudy days like today, that there are plenty of bad and sad things. I am simply remembering that the light shines in the darkness.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot extinguish it.” John 1:5
“When we give thanks and rejoice, even though all suffering hasn’t ended and evil is still prevalent, we imitate God. He encourages us to rejoice and give thanks for things small and normally unnoticed. . . . People who have come to know the joy of God . . . point each other to flashes of light here and there and remind each other that they reveal the hidden but real presence of God.” Henri Nouwen