I listened to a podcast episode of We Can Do Hard Things this summer, they were interviewing the author Cheryl Strayed, she was talking about how her mother told her “there is always a sunrise and there is always a sunset, it’s up to you to choose to be there for it.” She quoted “we have to put ourselves in the way of beauty”.

We recently moved over the summer to a place that has become to me one of the most beautiful places I have put myself. We live surrounded by the most breathtaking mountain views. The hills are perfectly lush and green during the summer months and the quintessential “rolling hills.” You look out into the sky and you can see for miles across the fields and beyond. We are currently working ourselves through our first seasons living here. I think fall is going to be my favorite. The colors are vibrant and each tree has its own unique look to it. This is a place where I never thought I would end up but I am forever grateful I met a man from this area who allowed me to bring us back. It is simple, small town living.

The first few days we moved in I was just in awe that this was the place I would call home. I would go out on our front porch and drink a high noon and watch the sunset every night, not wanting to miss a second of it. We were so busy trying to get the house unpacked and “ours” but I forced myself to take that time to not miss a sunset. If you have been to Smithsburg you know all about the cotton candy skies in the summer months. As we got more in rhythm with the kids and our new home, Andrew and I would put the kids to bed and take to the back porch where we would sit on our new whicker couch and be able to see every single star in the sky. It doesn’t matter the time of day- from the early crisp summer mornings walking with Henry at 7am to see the cows or the middle of a fall afternoon where the mountains are shadowed. I am noticing as the weather changes to cold there is dew of fog that lays like a blanket over the corn fields. It is truly the easiest place to put myself in the way of beauty and I think that is why I have fallen in love with where we live.

Putting yourself in the way of beauty is a mantra to be of the sort. It is simple, it helps me to slow down and take in my surroundings, and it helps me appreciate God’s remarkable art. (You’ve done good this fall, God).

When I recognize beauty- in the people I love, the places I go, or the ordinary moments I am returning to myself, I am noticing and paying attention. Anything can be seen as beautiful. Beauty is defined by the person who decides it is beautiful. How will you place yourself in the way of beauty today and every day?

-Liz

Some of the beautiful moments I have put myself in the way of….