INVISIBLE BEAUTY: WHAT WE DON’T SEE

Invisible beauty is all around when I take a walk with my favorite.

From the lattice-like leaves of a tiny plant, to clouds, to Mt. Hood, it’s all around for the taking.

One of our walks goes past a rosemary bush that needs more trimming than the owner can do, and we love rosemary chicken, so . . .

I took the top pic inside a European church. I think it was in England, but it could be France, or Belgium.

Every place we go, my wife includes church and castle stops, which is why Europe is the place. They’ve got outstanding churches and castles, and I haven’t even seen Germany yet.

Looking at the stained glass in the cathedrals, I had to wonder why such good work was nearly out of sight.

The shot at the top was a telephoto shot of a window way up the wall. It wasn’t hidden, but it was easy to miss. Of course, there were about a thousand other panes in the church, but this one called out.

My guess is that the window depicted a scene from one of the crusades, an Onward Christian Soldier sort of thing.

Invisible Beauty Beside You

Maybe you know old people who look at pictures of the past? Maybe you are an old person looking at pictures from the past?

I see those images and know just what I was thinking: “Man, I’ve got to lose a few pounds.”

Another time, it’s, “Who were the other people in the picture?”

And the big favorite, “Where were we when we took this?”

Instead of trying to nail down the specifics right away, start with the invisible beauty.

In family pictures, look at the expressions to see who is really glad to be a part of the gathering, and who is putting in an appearance.

From early shots, my group looks like they’ve got it together; they look ready for the challenge ahead.

Shots of my brothers as children are as heartwarming now as they were then.

I look for clues to the future when I see those pictures, and it’s a little murky.

Which one would break with tradition and not get married by age twenty? Which would marry the prettiest girl? Who would have kids that excel in everything they try?

Surely no one would go off the rails on drugs, sex, or rock and roll? No would set sail with an aberrant cult of personality?

They were a hardy group who set out to the far reaches of America. One even made it to Paris.

They were in Paris at the same time another one was in Paris, but since talking is too difficult, no one knew.

Both of them lost something: one lost a phone before leaving town, the other lost their money when they got in.

Talking had never been harder, but I saw invisible beauty working.

What I Learned From Childhood

Assigning blame in a tense situation isn’t a good play. Better to wait, if you’re the blaming type.

For a lost phone: Call your provider and cancel the number, put it on hold so whoever snagged the phone can’t work it.

Go ahead and repeat the number to customer service until they can read it back to you. Skip this part and they may shut off a different phone on a shared plan. At least that’s what I heard.

Lost money? Since you’ve already made the big trip, find a way to continue instead of packing it in and taking the next plane home.

Go ahead and stick around, but don’t start the blame game. Instead, make a plan to recoup lost money. Paris is a good start.

When you find solutions to shared problems without making things worse, look real hard.

Whether you use the same words, or not, you see invisible beauty.