When Words Fail, Beauty Speaks Between the Headlines

I’ve started several drafts in the last few weeks. But if you’ve noticed your inbox has been silent since the evening I was shaving fuzzballs off my recliner upholstery, you know that nothing stuck.

But in the mundane moments, I have found solace outside of world news. Moments with family, giggles with grandchildren, and iced mochas. Tonight, it was an open office window on a Thursday fall evening, a balmy night for the season. The scent of fresh-cut grass and the fumes from lawnmower exhaust mingled to remind me it could be another eight months before I experience this summer-like scenario again.

Soft pastels painted the sky by the time I switched on the lamp. A few more notes to finish up on my work in progress while I snacked on pepper jack cheese on whole grain crackers along with a sliced apple harvested straight from my son’s tree.

In these moments, I don’t pretend the world news into nonexistence. I can’t be that naive. Nor can I erase the sadness or trauma of each day’s breaking stories from my mind. But when words fail, beauty does not. It’s all around us, if we look for it. And as the sun sets on another day, I thank God for reminding me he is still here.

---