Where Beauty is Found

In life we all go through a lot of things that can cause us to feel anger, bitterness and guilt. There are things that happen to us and to our loved ones that we cannot control.  There is something though that we can control.  We can control how we let ourselves be affected by what happened. We alone can make the choice to decide whether to hold onto the negative emotions or to let them go.

I have met many people throughout life and heard their stories. Stories about their joys, but also stories of their struggles. Stories of things that had brought them pain.  What has stood out to me the most as I listened, was their attitude when sharing the painful things. How with some, no matter how sad their story may be, a gentle, tender spirit shined through their words.  There was an inner joy, not based on past or present circumstances. An inner joy because they had made the decision to shine. They chose to  not carry around the heavy load of bitterness, anger or guilt. They had let it go.  I could see the softness in their eyes and yes, some tears they may shed when sharing, but the beauty of peace still radiated from them.

I heard a story on the radio that touched my heart and  it made me realize again how important your attitude is. It also showed how once again we really can learn from children.

A Mom was sharing the story about how her husband had left her and her 5 year old son and then ended up in jail, which meant no child support. She had to move her and her son into an old camper to live. One day she went to the school to pick him up and she overheard him talking to his new friends. They asked him where he lived and he told them in a camper. The Mom cringed in shame, embarrassed for her son. Then one child said to her son that he bets he wishes that he had a home to live in. The Mom again felt her heart ache as she waited for his answer. Than she cried at his response. Her son replied that he already has a home because his Mommy loves him and that’s what makes a home!

I want to be like that precious little boy, don’t  you?

 

Every year Autumn shows us a visual reminder of the beauty that can be found in letting go. Enjoy this short video clip.