In the mad hustle and bustle of our daily lives it’s often a challenge carving out time to contemplate beauty, to let it settle in our hearts for a tick or two.
Today Virginia (the person) is sharing pics from a contemplatively beautiful November visit to Chincoteague Island, located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia (the state.)
“What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action.” Meister Eckhart
“The pleasure which is at once the most pure, the most elevating and the most intense, is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the beautiful.” Edgar Allan Poe
Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes: quirky beauty, dazzling beauty, magnificent beauty, awe-inspiring beauty, and beauty that can be seen in ordinary everyday happenings around us. When beauty blends in our surroundings we may need to be attentive to catch a glimpse – like this sighting of a blue heron in the brush.
There’s also beauty within, if we open our hearts to look for it.
Even if we don’t feel it, there are beautiful bits inside us to contemplate (not in a vain way, but in a grateful way – like thanking God for bits of love inside us that astound us at times?)
“In our creation, God asked a question and in our truly living; God answers the question.” Thomas Merton
Even on cold and dreary days there is still beauty to be found if we look around. It’s a matter of perception, motivation (and prayer) to change dreary day doldrums into exercises of contemplative beauty.
During our November visit to Chincoteague we had several cold dreary days, but we went out and traipsed about anyway.
Fall colors seemed to pop even more in the gloomy landscape.
But there was also beauty in the starkness.
“How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!” Thomas Wentworth Higginson
If dreary November day doldrums are getting you down, take a contemplative look around. Maybe beauty will surprise you with quiet inspiration to be and to do, to answer God’s question by truly living in this present moment.
grace, peace & contemplative beauty
Virginia : )
Roses in the Rubble 
Such tranquil scenery. Love that big umbrella!
Arlene, we’ve enjoyed the island of Chincoteague in spring, summer and late fall – so many beautiful birds, trees, wild ponies, nature walks & beaches! Fun to enjoy even on cold drizzling November days! Blessings! 🍁💨⛱💨🍁
Beautiful photos!!!
Thank you, Michelle – hope you & your family have a blessed Thanksgiving! 🍁🙏🍁
Thank you and the same to you!!
Thank you once again dear Virginia. Your photographs and quotations are inspirational, comforting and bring much light in these dark times.
Thank you, Lisa, for your encouragement and for being such an inspiring Light to this redhead and so many others throughout the Middle East – and around the world, too!!!! Blessings & big hugs!!! 🌟💜🌟💜🌟🤗🌟
Love the photos of the wetland birds. My favorites…
Wetland birds have so much personality, seems like. Plus they can be gracefully majestic. We saw amazing birds in Chincoteague but we’re blessed that where we live we see herons & egrets here, too. Blessings, Tim! ☀️🕊☀️
All we have is the present moment. Contemplative living is a grace ❤ Thank you for sharing those beautiful pics. Virginia! Love & Blessings! :*
Amen, Patty, being present in the present moment is a contemplative gift & opportunity for God’s grace & love to flow in us (& through us.) Much love & hugs! 🕊🌟💜☀️🤗
Loved your photos and words and the reminder that we can always find beauty – so trues – blessings Lois
Thank you, Lois. We can find beauty, if we’re looking for it? Like finding roses in the rubble (the name of this blog originating from photos I took of roses growing in the rubble of war-torn Kosovo in 1999)… Blessings!