My Beauty Moment.

Today I decided to have a Beauty Moment. After all, it is my birthday and I’ve been thinking big thoughts lately.

As I stood by the back yard looking out at all of that unbroken snow, I decided that after weeks of neglect, I would take some birdseed out to the feeder and enjoy a profound Moment enjoying the scene.   Yes, I could feel it. A Beauty Moment was coming.

My first problem was that I was still in PJs and socks in the late morning. But, Kevin’s huge over-the-shoe rubber boots were sitting by the back door so I slipped my feet in to rattle around in the bottom.  Next, I realized that it was a lot colder than it looked, so I called for Nat to bring me a coat–which confused him for a minute, but he brought it anyway.

So out the door I went to await my Beauty Moment. I had to stumble a bit over the ice and snow piled up on the deck that had fallen off the roof and now stands like boulders on top of an ice field. Once I had adventured across that, shuffling and stomping and slipping in the loose boots, I stood on the edge to look for the best way to wade out into the yard. Two steps out, I realized that the snow was much deeper than I thought and half crusted so that it would hold me for a few seconds before randomly plunging me down into the depths. About half way between the deck and the bird feeder, one of the boots fell off all together, stuck below the surface of the snow, and my socked foot and PJ pants came up bare and then back down into the snow up to mid- thigh in an attempt to keep some form of balance. Once again, the sense of starring in my own situation comedy had come upon me and I hoped the children were getting some amusement out of the scene while I lifted my snowy sock into the air and tried to balance on the other boot which was still resting on top of the snow…for a few more seconds…before I fell over completely into the snow.    

So I didn’t get my Beauty Moment, but I did get a big laugh at myself that I was even trying to fabricate my own beauty moment and the absurdity of the entire situation. When I came back inside, still laughing aloud and covered in snow the older kids looked up just mildly curious. Even though they’d been in the dining room, right next to the window, they’d missed the entire thing.

But, the birds did get their lunch–which I somehow managed to deliver unspilled to the birdfeeder.

A few minutes later (after thinking to ask the boys to shovel the path to the birdfeeder, and making a mental note to myself to leave my own boots by the back door) I was thinking of God’s mercy in pouring out true beauty moments into my life when I least expect them, and then humbling me at other times to remind me that even on my birthday–He will decide which gifts are best for me.

                                                               ~Sara~