It is a cloudy, cool day as I type this. My girls and I have just enjoyed a little hot chocolate, and before that, I made a toasted marshmallow. All these years I’ve been adding them to s’mores like you are supposed to do, but I recently discovered that I love the toasted marshmallows by themselves. It’s so simple to cook them over our gas stove, though they do catch on fire quite easily! It’s a favorite treat I’ve been enjoying lately. I’ve also been enjoying the creation of these posts for you and want to create more throughout the month as I feel led (though I promise not to overtake your inbox), so without further ado, here is one of October’s “bonus” posts.
During a Saturday Pages session with Allison Byxbe (a therapeutic writing trainee that you must check out), I came to the heart of what I think my life message is—to help people notice beauty, and through the beauty, draw closer to God who is the source of all beauty. Here is the passage I wrote in my journal.
Where do I see beauty or find beauty still possible even though the world is a dark place? I see beauty in nature—always. It gives us a glimpse into what God intended for us in the beginning, in the garden with Adam and Eve. I want to encourage others toward noticing. That is my message and where the phrase “beautiful glimpse” came from. (Beautiful Glimpse is the title of the first poetry collection I hope to self-publish soon, and you’re the first to know about it!) We have to keep pushing back the dark by taking the time to notice beauty and then sharing the beauty we notice. It’s not silly or frivolous but necessary. Even when there are things to worry about—especially when there are things to worry about—focusing on those bits of beauty remind us that God is bigger than those worries. The beauty we see—the colorful leaves, the bright sapphire sky, the golden light—are portals that connect us to a God who invites us to “taste and see that He is good” (Psalm 34: 8) even when evil wants to convince us otherwise. And when we see and feel God, we must share him with others. Small gifts and moments of beauty are just as important, if not more important, as the big gifts and moments. That story you are reading right now that delights you, tell others about it! That photo you took of the lake, share it! Let others see beauty through your eyes and help them draw closer to our creator.
With that being said, there are two passages and one poem I want to share with you about swans from writers who are good at noticing. The first is from one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Goudge. She is a British author who lived from 1900-1984. Elizabeth (I like to think of her as Elizabeth) draws me in with her wonderful ability to develop characters, setting, and write stories of redemption. In addition, she is a poetic noticer.
The passing and repassing of the swans was one of the events of Fairhaven, something so lovely that no one ever got used to it and no one ever failed to look up when they heard the rhythmical powerful beat of those great wings approaching from the eastward. The swans would fly one behind the other in perfect formation, their long necks stretched out as though they yearned for the place where they would be, their flight, so different from that of the yachts, as unselfconscious and as unhurried as the wheeling of the sun and moon upon their courses. When they saw their blue lake the head of the foremost swan would point downwards like the head of an arrow that turns again earthwards, and with a slow sinuous movement, that was difficult to follow even though it enchanted the watcher, the whole long lovely line of them would sink towards the water with tense necks relaxed into grace and white wings folded. Then, immobile, they would become, like the furled sails, no longer wings but flowers.
~Passage from The Bird in the Tree
You can explore more about Elizabeth Goudge through this wonderful Elizabeth Goudge Bookclub.
The next passage is from The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. The main boy, Sam Beaver, is a noticer. He loves to camp in Canada with his father and keeps a journal of all he sees and all the questions he thinks of. Because he is so in-tune with nature, he befriends a group of trumpeter swans.
“Ko-hoh!” said the cob.
“Hello!” said Sam, who hadn’t expected anything like this and hardly dared breathe.
The first cygnet looked at Sam and said, “Beep.” The second cygnet looked at Sam and said, “Beep.” The third cygnet greeted Sam the same way. So did the fourth. The fifth cygnet was different. He opened his mouth but didn’t say a thing. He made an effort to say beep, but no sound came. So instead, he stuck his little neck out, took hold of one of Sam’s shoelaces, and gave it a pull. He tugged at the lace for a moment. It came untied. Then he let it go. It was like a greeting. Sam grinned.
The final thing I wanted to share is a poem by Mary Oliver. And because I think poetry is best read aloud, I made an audio clip for you as well as typing the poem.
The Swan
by Mary Oliver
Across the wide waters
something comes
floating--a slim
and delicate
ship, filled
with white flowers--
and it moves
on its miraculous muscles
as though time didn't exist,
as though bringing such gifts
to the dry shore
was a happiness
almost beyond bearing.
And now it turns its dark eyes,
it rearranges
the clouds of its wings,
it trails
an elaborate webbed foot,
the color of charcoal.
Soon it will be here.
Oh, what shall I do
when that poppy-colored beak
rests in my hand?
Said Mrs. Blake of the poet:
I miss my husband's company--
he is so often
in paradise.
Of course! the path to heaven
doesn't lie down in flat miles.
It's in the imagination
with which you perceive
this world,
and the gestures
with which you honor it.
Oh, what will I do, what will I say, when those
white wings
touch the shore?
Tell me, what do you make of Mary Oliver’s poem? What does it mean? I enjoy reading poetry, but I don’t always try to analyze it and pick it apart, but if you have thoughts you would like to share, please do! I will mention that reading a poem aloud several times will often bring some clarity or at least an idea of what the poet was trying to say.
Please comment and let me know what you are noticing in your little corner of the world. I would love to know!
Blessings,
Stephanie
P.S. Any colored pencil drawings you see in my posts are created by my daughter, Madelyn. She also created my Handwritten by Stephanie logo that you will occasionally see. She’s very talented, in my unbiased opinion. :)
P.P.S. On a recent The Way Back To Ourselves podcast, Kimberly asked fellow poet Nicholas Trandahl to write a six word memoir. I was very intrigued by this idea and wrote my own. I think mine would be “Notice beauty. See God. Tell others.” At least, that is what I am striving for my life to be about. I feel I may have been a bit inspired by Mary Oliver’s instructions for living: Pay attention. Be Astonished. Tell about it. What would your six word memoir be?
Every day I enjoy God’s creation as I walk outside my home! 💝