The Beauty In One

I was given a rose a while back. I could not help but delight in the scent and the feel of silk as well as the deep color of the huge petals. There was such beauty in just that one rose, that I did not need a dozen. That one flower was created just for me for that moment. While others may have enjoyed its beauty before me and some will after, the fact is, in that moment, it was just for me. We are created to DO something… To touch someone…if only for just a moment.

We are each like that single rose. We are intrinsically beautiful. There is no need for there to be three or four of each of us. Have you seen the movie Multiplicity? In this movie the main character thinks that if he can have more than one of himself to do everything then he will have more time to do what he wants. But what he finds out is that having more than one of him causes him to MISS important things that his duplicates are doing in his place. He misses the beauty in his everyday life.

We may have a lot on our plates, a lot to deal with. Some things we deal with serve us and some don’t. Either way, we must accept the storms with the sunshine. Remember, rainbows show up after some of the most destructive ones.  While telling you that the glass doesn’t have to be half empty, I understand the issues we face sometimes do not cause us to feel beautiful. In fact, some things we go through can make us feel terrible.

But…

We do not have to continue feeling terrible. I encourage you all (me too) to look at yourselves in the mirror and take an inventory of your petals. Each petal stands for something that makes us full and vibrant. These are petals of hope, joy, love, encouragement, peace, patience, gentleness…if one of our petals droops, we can still show up in a glass vase with our best side forward, while working on weak areas. We are created beautiful and just like the lone rose, our inner beauty can shine brightly if you let it.

The rose I was given was from a friend at the funeral of her grandpa. It was a really hard and lonely moment for her. Sometimes, all we can do is give a hug and let someone know we are there for them. Though I wanted to do more, being there and listening to her was all I could do. Now months later, she bloomed ever so sweetly, even though she was wounded by the loss of her grandpa.

Next time you look at a flower, remember, just as it is, you are beautiful and intricately created to share color with the world. There is beauty in you…the ONE!