Beauty is very popular. She has many, many, many fans. When she shows up as a sunset, people stop and stare, “How beautiful! Isn’t she gorgeous in her red, orange and yellow shimmering cape?” “Oh, one time I saw her at the beach (or mountain top or exotic travel location) and she was spectacular! Maybe the best I’ve seen her, E-V-E-R!”

Beauty has many, many acquaintances. People who like to hang out with her for awhile. They will go to visit her in art museums and waterfalls and tulip gardens. They will delight in their time with her and take her picture and recall later the feeling of joy they had in her presence.

Beauty has many friends. Those who have gotten to know her well. Who know what light best captures her essence. Who recognize her in the middle of a crowd of the mundane and ordinary. They introduce her to friends and nudge others to notice her. “See, over there, see her?” It might be just a glimpse of her or she might appear suddenly and stunningly. In either case, beauty’s friends stop, notice, appreciate and love her.

Beauty also has besties. Besties invite beauty into their homes and make a place for her. They surround themselves with her. She has access to every room and every object within the room. Things contrary to beauty get relegated to the garage or attic, but even there, they might get a pretty rug or painted floor.

Some people might think love of beauty begins with lack of beauty, a craving of sorts. Living on a rented farm, between the Great Depression and WWII, meant natural beauty was often braided with hard, dirt-encrusted work. Most people didn’t have enough extra money to buy beautiful things. Even the feed suppliers who used to ship in plain cloth bags, began printing pretty designs on the bags when they learned that farm girls were making skirts out of their feed bags.

Perhaps an appreciation for beauty grows out of an early lack of beautiful things. Perhaps, though, instead, one is stamped for beauty by the divine. Being beauty’s bestie is a gift: for themselves, for others and for the Source of beauty. “Here she is, Beauty, a glimpse of the holy, right here, among us!”