OK, so this feels like cheating because it is so obvious, but sometimes the obvious needs to be stated. One of the ways I see beauty in the “process” is in my children. They are all on their way to adulthood, but if we just focus on the end result we’d miss the beauty along the way. It’s pretty silly to say that we miss the beauty in our children now because we are focused on their future adulthood, but I think sometimes we do miss it. We see the physical, but do we notice what’s deeper? Do we stop to spend time with our children, REALLY spend time with them, get to know them? Do we miss out on building memories and love and character because we are in such a hurry to get to the next stage, and then the next, and so on?

This idea has been obvious to me over the last year and a half since Dietrich has been born. Because I am fairly certain he’s my last child, I have wanted to slow down and enjoy each stage he is in. To focus on the positive in that stage instead of the things I don’t like. It isn’t easy every day, but I’d like to have that attitude towards each of my children. So, here are some pictures gleaned from the last 12 months. Each picture in some way shows beauty to me in one or more of my children’s faces. I hope that by noticing the beauty on the outside, I can remember to stop long enough to see the beauty beneath as well.