Beauty in the Brokenness

This time of year always captivates me. The long summer evenings are a distant memory and the coolness of the mornings are very evident.... Often giving way to the relative warmth of the midday sun and then the dark evenings draw in closer with each passing day.

Whilst out for a walk, I noticed this tree of contrasts.

On first look I saw the brokenness of the lower branches.... Damaged I'm sure by some previous winter storm but then as I looked upwards, the beautiful autumnal colours were radiant as the sunlight bounced off them.

I then had a choice. Do I focus on the damage and wonder what might have been and what glorious shape could this tree have given us?

Or do I marvel at the beautiful growth that this tree has and the wonderful colours that it is displaying??

I had a choice to make.

And as I a reflected on nature's work, I considered how often we can look either at our own lives or the lives of others and then choose what aspect to focus in on.

Do we look upon the "Damage" and wonder what might have been?

Or is our focus on the beauty, strength, compassion, kindness and other wonderful characteristics being displayed and this then becomes our overriding focus of either ourself or our friends

Let us make wise choices and remind ourselves and others of the beautiful aspects of our lives and be thankful for them.