ode to beauty

who art thou, beauty?
thou art a babe's first smile. the loving embrace of a mother and her child. a bedtime story, song, and "i love you" before sleep.
thy voice is the silence of freshly fallen snow. the peaceful, rhythmic breathing of a toddler fallen asleep. wind through a sea of grass. waves lapping against a rocky shore.
where art thou, beauty?
thou art in the excitement of a young one learning to read. the awkward hesitance of a first kiss. the joy in one's heart as he kneels across the altar, eyes fixed, lost in those of his true love. thou art in anticipation and confidence. in determination and triumph. loss and sorrow. love and forgiveness.
what art thou, beauty?
thou art the face of one who, though moves slowly, weighed down by the wisdom she carries, her face wrinkled by a life of smiles and frowns, laughter and tears, is yet quick and spry, full of faith, goodwill and cheer.
who art thou, beauty?
thou art life itself. thou art he, thou art she. yes, even art thou in me.



i often wonder what makes certain things in life beautiful. we could analyze this for days, years, or even all eternity. but i have limited my thoughts to only a few lines. the painting is one that i think is truly beautiful. it is located in the wilk and was once featured on the cover of the byu magazine. the other weekend i was privileged to attend the mormon tabernacle choir christmas concert with four very beautiful young ladies. even though i had to sit next to eric, it was a very enjoyable night. the choir sang with the king singers, and the music was splendid.
that sunday, our ward, along with several others, had their christmas programs. something remarkable happened that day. as i was trying hard to listen to a talk, something pierced my sole to the core. an angelic voice sounded from the sacrament meeting next door singing "oh, holy night." i was transfixed. i could no longer listen to the talk. i sat as the music filled me. i thought at that moment, that perhaps there are a myriad ways to describe beauty, but i knew that what i heard was true beauty. so, to that girl who sang, your voice is inspiring and refreshing. thank you.