Beauty In The Beast

Today I met a dear friend for coffee and a day of

 " Friend Togetherness"

We met at this beautiful setting.

When I was 16 years of age ( I am now 62 ) I modeled swimming suits, in a fashion show, at this exact setting----

I remarked to my friend, " I should take a picture of my now very baggy knees ( another blog in and of itself, smile ) and blog about this--- oh how I wish I had a picture from the swimming suit days!

Anyway, as you read on---the point being--

My knees were beautiful when I was 16-

The setting was beautiful when I was 16

The setting is still beautiful at the age of 62

It might not be my kness that are beautiful now

but at age 62

 there are new things about me that are beautiful

 that were not beautiful when I was 16-

These photographs are not particularly even pretty, much less beautiful- I am struggling with photography, as I want to do too much ---  I have not " Focused" on my photography skills-

even as I type this---see the tooth brush in the reflection of the mirror? I tried cropping this picture three times and something happened each time to keep it from disappearing-

and then I realized-

my tooth brush is a part of the very person I am-

It seemed to be saying, as it refused to be eliminated, I am relevant, don't delete me!

Do you see the buttons along the bottom of the mirror?

This morning I planned to post about them and my

 "Design on a Dime" creating---

My pictures were all awful---

flash on---

no time to figure out how to turn it off---

just skipped posting--- 

See the empty bud vase?

I had no flowers to put in the vase---

NONE----

My friend brought me these two beautiful roses from her own special rose garden. I told her they were perfect for my vase. I told her about not having any flowers for my vase and my post and my lack of being able to " do it all" and my frustration with such. 

By the time I arrived home with my flowers---

because we spent almost the entire day together ( my friend and I and my sweet as perfume roses from her garden ) my roses were wilted and looking pretty distressed from their lack of water 

 IF

 one was only looking at the outside of the flowers ---

BUT

 I was smelling the smell of friendship

I was seeing the delight of the love behind the gift-

I was seeing the BEAUTY-

beyond the outward appearance---

I was seeing the LOVE---

Both this friend and I have challenges in our lives-

Both this friend and I feel wilted at times-

Both this friend and I have far from Fairy Tale Lives

BUT

Both this friend and I see beauty, in our lives ,when we come together 

because we both 

CONNECT--

We don't see our own wilt-

We don't see our own challenges-

We see each others-

Because we care

And we love-

EachOther

And 

By

Loving

Each

Other

We

Give

OURSELVES

Love

I was blessed today 

to see the beauty behind the

 perceived imperfection in life---

Wishing you the same---

And wishing myself the ability to see it more often!