There is beauty in the world

There are times in the last couple of weeks when life has been full of pain and misery. Mostly it hasn't been MY life that's been directly affected, but the lives of those around me. It's still been enough to make me wonder whether negative states of being are the status quo and all that should be expected from life in this day and age.

Then some little thing happens to prove to me that beauty is often just around the corner.

It can be a song. Right now I'm convinced that "Dandelions in Bullet Holes" by Sarah Harmer is one of the most intrinsically beautiful and hopeful songs ever written, as much because of the turns of its melody as for its lyrics.

It can be a party where a group of friends get together, ostensibly to celebrate the engagement of two of their number, but really so they can spend time in each other's company and talk and laugh and not keep one eye on the clock while doing it.

Or it can be leaving the office and stumbling across the most stunning sunset you have seen in several years - clouds etched in brilliant yellow so clearly that you could reach out and run your finger along the edges.

Every time I start to question whether this planet and the human race are such a mess it's beyond hope, God reminds me that nothing is beyond redemption.