That is the title of this year’s PTA Reflections contest. As a teacher, I did my duty to inform the students and parents about the reflections contest…but never anything more than that. And for the past 5 years as a parent of a school-aged child, I would read through the packet of information, become quickly overwhelmed with all the requirements, and promptly file the paperwork in the great big green “filing cabinet” just outside the garage.
But this year, I have a budding artist on my hands. A little pixie-faced sprite who absolutely LOVES to create, whether it be creative writing, drawing, singing, dancing, or 3-dimensional forms. And when I asked her if she wanted to enter a project in the Reflections program, the answer was a resounding “YES!”
We began by deciding to build a sculpture of a butterfly that she could paint. I got out the Crayola modeling clay and we made the body, head, antennae, and both wings before we received the packet that stated “No sculptures or 3-D models will be accepted.” Sadly, the butterfly found its way into the great big blue “filing cabinet” outside our garage.
But, not to be deterred, Crisana then decided she would enter a photograph. When I suggested that she might be able to find something beautiful to take a picture of on our trip to South Padre, she immediately latched on to that idea. Which is an amazing concept for a girl who changes her mind about 60 times a minute.
One afternoon, while the sun was shining brightly and the morning clouds and haze had cleared, and while Trey and Matt were playing in the surf, Crisana and I took my trusty little digital camera on a mission to find little pockets of beauty. It didn’t take long to find them:
…from the sheer beauty of the South Texas coastline…(don’t worry, no dead fish were harmed in the taking of this picture. And if you look closely, you can see a little speck of a person in the water. That would be Trey. A moment of beauty for Mom as I watched the exuberance and joy of my little guy having the time of his life in the ocean.)
…to the ever-changing landscape of sea and sky. (Now, if you look closely, you’ll see two specks of people in the water as Matt has joined Trey to keep him from being carried out to sea by the undercurrent. Another moment of beauty for Mom as I watched my husband and son play together…and remembering that it was only a year ago we weren’t sure how many more of these moments we would have.)
…to the vivid palette and dynamic interplay of textures and colors that grace our walk from the condo to our oceanside perch.
…to the creativity and uniqueness of each plant, designed and created especially for this environment by the Master Artist Himself.
…to the indescribable beauty and peacefulness of the bay side of the island. The same gulf waters, with two completely different “personalities”. One wild and powerful, the other calm and tranquil.
Yet within these vast landscapes are smaller details, little surprises of joy and beauty that God places there to delight those who take the time to notice. Like this little “star”, which ended up being the picture Crisana chose for her project. A little burst of beauty, tucked away amidst the large green leaves and tall sea grasses that line the swelling sand dunes outside our condo.
Beauty is… all of this, and more. Beauty is the never-ending creativeness of the Creator Himself. Beauty is being able to enjoy His amazing world…and knowing that He created it all with us in mind.