A Beautiful Man

Yesterday,I took a winter walkwrapped in my warm coat,with gloves and a scarfbreathing the crisp, cold air,I watched the winter at play:The world felt hushed, The landscape reduced to its essence,a simple, serene scene.

Trees stood barewithout leavesholding up their many brancheslike arms reaching for lightwhile their roots anchored deeply below, hidden in the frozen earth.

I marveled at the trees,with their graceful silhouettesetched against the clear, bright sky.Each twist and turntelling a quiet story.

And then, from afar,I saw a man approaching.Before his details came into view,I could already feel his warmth.As he came closermy eyes were drawn to his face which held me in quiet awe. It was as though I looked upon the trees again,their branches mirrored in the lines on his face,like delicate threadsunravelling the story of his life.

A story I could not know, but one I could sense in the depth of his gentle expression. In those fleeting moments, as we passed one another, my gaze rested on him, drawn to an unspoken beauty. His face, softened by a tender smilewas embellished with exquisite linesthat spoke of himand a life well-lived,of challenges met with grace,of kindness and warmth,of courageand of gratitude that refused to fade.And I thought: What a beautiful man.In that brief encounter, he left me a gift – a quiet reminder of something profound:We are all artistsWe are all paintersWe are the ones shaping the contours of our faces,painting the lines of our lives.We choose to paint our stories in joy and love,or bitterness and fear,We etch our laughter or our sorrow into tales, leaving our marks on the canvas of our skin.

We are the oneswho paint our faces.

I turned to my sister .walking by my sideI looked in her facemirroring my own and I thought:Oh, let us live in such a way that in old age our faceswill be etchedwith deep lines of love, of warmthof hearts wide openand brimming with gratitude for life – for all that it gives and all that it takes.

And with that wish, I smiled - inviting joy into my being,thereby putting myself to workwith a mindset that paints our liveswith beautiful linesallowing grace to branch out and take rootin my face.

Prompts for reflection:

* Reflect on a time you encountered a stranger who left an impression on you. What about them caught your attention, and what did you take away from that moment?

* Think about the “canvas” of your own life. What stories, emotions, or moments have shaped you so far?

* What choices or attitudes are you currently painting onto your face and heart? And remember, you always have the choice to paint things differently. You are the author of your life and the artist of your face.

* Imagine yourself in old age. What do you hope others will see and sense when they look at you?

* Reflect on the people closest to you. What “lines” or stories do their faces tell, and how do those reflect their lives?

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Love, 💛Rose

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