Beauty can be found if you look...

As we start February, the weather is again cold and snowy and sometimes it is hard to find beauty in our surroundings. The gray days make it hard to find those positive thoughts and the New Year that was so full of promise seems to have lost is luster a bit between reports of violence  and illness that are impacting many.

I am fortunate to work from an office that overlooks a protected wooded ravine, There is a small creek that runs through it and every day the view is a bit different. Every time I begin to feel overwhelmed I take a couple minutes to look out the window and see nature at work. Yes, my view right now has bare trees, dormant grass and plants, and very little color other than various shades of brown. But even in this setting there is beauty to behold. From the deer that meander through looking for food or to take a quick drink to the squirrels that slip into hollowed out trees making their nests and storing up for food to last until spring.

Today, after several hectic days at work I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning to inspect the ravine, I spied fox making its way to the creek and the shelter of fallen trees. In pausing a moment more, several deer wandered into view. It is sights such as these that make me remember that even on the gloomiest of days, there is beauty to behold. A single leaf that is hanging on a tree is a reminder that spring will bring new life and renewal. And with that hope for a better time, better world continues.