February is a beautiful month in Miami

This month, I've been struck so often by beauty. And not just the kind of beauty you may think about - beautiful people, beautiful days, beautiful scenery. All this has been on my mind, of course, but also, the beauty of life and all that we encounter.

I've had quite an enjoyable month, so far. Work has been exciting with grants and gigs and getting a band ready for a tour through Honduras. This last part, of course, has been no small task. Eight people will be packing up and heading off to play music all around the country, bringing God's everlasting light and love. This involves everything from making sure everyone has passports to shipping our musical equipment down to buying flights... you get the idea. But in this, I've noticed how beautiful the passion is to go and do something just a little different; to make the effort to reach out to those that you would never come into contact with in any other way.

Andrew and I had a lovely Valentine's Day time together. We didn't actually get to spend any of the real Valentine's Day together because of my long day of work, but on Friday night he brought me a dozen roses, we had dinner together and then he took me to the ballet. We had wonderful seats for a beautiful production of Don Quixote by the Miami City ballet. I was very impressed! Usually, I am skeptical of any ballet company that isn't San Francisco or ABT, but this was a beautiful show. Again with the beauty. :) Wonderful, engaging choreography and fine dancers made for a wonderful show. Andrew and I also got to spend some time together yesterday, on President's day when neither of us worked. We really only did errands and such, but it was fun to spend time with him that wasn't squeezed in between our work schedules.

True enough, the weather here has been wonderful. Sunny and warm with a slight breeze most of the time has made for us all want to get outside again! (There was a time when chilly temperatures made for frozen Floridians). :)

I'm very much looking forward to a time in March when I'll be housesitting for someone for a few weeks. I really like their home, and along with that, it is so nice to get away and have my own space at times. I am so much of an extrovert that of course I love people being around, but to have a place that you can have, even for a short time, to yourself, is a wonderful change of pace - especially since I live in a small house with five other people. That, in itself, is something simple. I'm going to de-clutter my chaos. Something beautiful.

My sister is leaving Iowa in about a week to go visit my parents in North Carolina. I truly wish I was going to be there! I miss my sister and my nephews quite a lot, as I didn't get to see them at Christmas time when I saw my parents and brother. My sister is so very excited to see my parents. I can't blame her. She hasn't seen them since this summer and it was only very brief. I think it's great that she and my parents are growing closer despite the distance between them.

In all of these things, I've found beauty. Beauty in environments, in simplicity, in growing love, in relationships, in the arts, in passion.... it's all there. It's all around us. I am overwhelmed at the beauty I am seeing.

I hope that all of you are well, also. And I challenge you to find something beautiful about each day that you are living.

Cheers,
Em