To the brave and the gracious

First off, I am sorry I skipped last week. I am realizing how important it is for me to keep up with this blog and the positivity associated with it. Last week, I was unable and unwilling to see beauty in most things, and my generally crabby mood perpetuated the problem. There has been a lot going on in my life lately, and I am not really handling it all very well. I know that negative thoughts lead us to negative events, and I am a firm believer that we have the power to transform our outlook and attract positive things to us. However, this takes effort, which most of us simply do not feel we have the energy or patience to exert. So this morning, I started thinking back on all the people I encountered over the week, even if it was only for a moment. I was surprised to see that I had actually passed a lot of beauty right on by, without so much as a 'hello'.

As most of you are aware, I teach at a school. This is a high school to be more specific, and it is filled with... we will call them "interesting" people. Over the past week, we had a bomb threat, and a riot. Our dean was assaulted by several students and there was mass pandemonium for almost an hour and a half. Despite all of this, some people managed to pick up the pieces and put a smile on their face. So this is to several of those people, merged into one letter.

Dear Risk-Taking, Level-Headed, Beautiful employee of the school,

While this letter is about several of you, believe me when I say, you are each a unique form of beauty. I need to start by thanking you for your reassurance, kindness, generosity, and wisdom after what became an amazingly trying, and traumatic event. Your smiles made the day easier, and your abundant positivity about the days to come helped me to find some good in a seemingly hopeless situation. The camaraderie and laughs we shared after the trauma of the day made your beauty shine through with abundance. Your smile dispelled my trepidation about the unknown of tomorrow. How special that kind of beauty is!

Thank you, also, for easing some of my pain and burden with your generosity. I know how risky it can be to give assistance to someone when you work in a school, and your exuberant kindness is truly appreciated. The fact that you are concerned for the well-being of someone who you see rarely, displays a true inner beauty and a quality I wish I could practice more. So thank you for that.

Lastly, to those of you who didn't say a word, just shared your smile. That was truly beautiful. The effects of a smile are countless, and generally positive. Therefore, thank you, to all of you beautiful, risk-taking, hard-working, brave, generous individuals who have the gumption and verve to work in an imperfect place and strive to make it better.

--Me

Beautiful Men

So for the past couple of weeks I have actually pushed this one back, but no more! It is high time I wrote about one of the most beautiful people in my life; my husband. I know, I just called a man beautiful. I understand that this is not the social norm, however, I am here to tell you that men are beautiful too. (And for those of you getting squeamish, think of it in a completely-manly-beautiful-like-George-Clooney kind of way.) Too often I feel we do not allow men to be the beautiful people they are because of some convoluted sort of homophobia that is associated with certain words...like beautiful. Ok, so, off my soap box, and on to the letter...

Dear Beautiful Man,
Day in and day out I see you struggle with yourself, both internally and externally. I worry you do not see the amazingly beautiful qualities that are so evident to me. Internally, you have strength, integrity and generosity. You are always there for anyone with a problem, and you are patient with even the most belligerent opponents. You demonstrate all the things I admire in a person. Your strength is a lot of what makes you beautiful, (and I am not talking about your physical strength). You get me through the toughest times with a smile.
In addition to all of this, you have amazingly alluring physical qualities, that I think you don't even know about. Your eyes are as bright and inspiring as a sunrise and your smile is seriously one of the best parts of my day. I don't tell you enough how amazing you look. You don't need to worry so much about all those attributes that the commercials tell you about. You are beautiful! A beautiful man with an amazing ability to make me smile. You are one of the most beautiful people I know, and I cannot truly explain that here, in this blog.... but I think you know what I mean. ;-) I love you.
--Me

Beauty Pageant

I had a couple of options for this week and I must say, I had a hard time picking one. However, I decided to write about someone I watched during a pageant. Yes folks, a pageant. Not your typical Miss America either. This was the first annual Native American Miss Fairfax Pageant held at the school where I teach. This young lady in particular was the winner, and while I am normally anti-pageant, I felt that this particular pageant celebrated the culture and talents of these young women far more than their looks. Therefore, my beautiful person of the week…

Dear Beautiful Pageant winner,
I am always inspired by the teenagers I meet that carry themselves the way you do. You take pride in who you are, and you allow others to see what they have to be proud of in themselves. You smile constantly. I think that is truly beautiful. You walk with a confidence and poise that makes you glow. Your kindness and generosity shine through, even when you don’t say a word. I know sometimes it is hard for you, and you are criticized because of the way you look, or your background, but you, beautiful one, shine through it all. I am very impressed by you and the beauty you emanate. I am so glad you have won this award, and I hope others will be inspired by your example. Keep your head held high, and your beauty showing.
--Me