yes there is beauty

You see this tree, how beautiful he is. He is very tall and stands in a nearby forest. I’ve looked at him many many times. But I just notice him recently.

Why did I just notice this tree? I don’t really know, but I love him and think he is so beautiful. He is not perfect. There are broken branches everywhere, and he is sparse here and there. He is top-heavy. But he is uniquely beautiful just as he is! I imagined him saying that he needed me to draw him. I felt like drawing him. So I did, with Sophia reaching up in adoration of this beautiful singular tree. This is Sophia Rooted.

The people in my life are the same. Every one is unique. Every one is beautiful. In their own way. Like the tree, they are not all pretentious. They just are. Not one of them is perfect. I’ve yet to meet anyone who is the perfect human being, the perfect physical representation of the idea of the human body. No one has a perfect personality. But they are each one uniquely beautiful. They deserve to be noticed. And maybe even drawn!

Do you remember the end of “The Last Samurai”? In it, the Samurai Chieftain is looking for the perfect cherry blossom. This is his life endeavor. Then, near the end of the movie when he lies dying on the battlefield, it is snowing cherry blossoms everywhere. He notices them and says, “Perfect! They are all perfect!”

Trees. Cherry blossoms. People. They are all beautiful. They are all perfect. This is my life endeavor: to notice this. To notice that everyone around me, especially those I care for, are beautiful, standing, blossoming, growing, just as they are. Their beauty is indescribable, if only I would notice!

I invite you to join The Lasting Supper where we endeavor to put this mutual respect into practice.