An Epiphany

"Why do I share this?" 

A dear friend added this line by way of explanation when she had shared her truly lovely January mantle decor. I understand why she may have felt the need to justify sharing it at all.  Many voices over the years have attributed various self-congratulatory motives to those who share online.  For all I know there are cases where those may apply. Certainly that is not true for all artists and authors through time, however.  As I have been gathering and returning some old favorites into my regular rotation lately, I have considered the impact their words and images have had on me and my own motivation for sharing.  

Why do I share? 

I share because the reflections shared by older women inspired me so very much when I was first making a home and raising a family. They were a gentle means of accumulating little bits of art, history, and philosophy in bite-sized bits - which was all I could manage in busy seasons.  Strung together they resulted in an education for which I am eternally grateful in our era of strict, functional practicality.

I share because I have come to believe that beauty is not simply the dessert or worse, the junk food of life. It is vital sustenance which nourishes and builds our strength and vision. We should consider it a foundational building block rather than an indulgence.

I share because the first and most natural response the Magi had upon learning of a young mother with a blessed child was to share their gifts. They went to great lengths to bring beautifully bright, precious, and sacred things, riches full of symbolism and layers of meaning. They were gifts that touched the senses.  We can imagine some then, too, scorned these as impractical and unnecessary.  

We need both Martha and Mary, practicality and vision, to be productive and contemplative. We need feel no guilt over encouraging both and bringing a little ray of light into someone else's day.  As another friend shared, beauty is not like a cake where your large slice diminishes the amount left for others.  It is a candle which can ignite those nearby.  I am so grateful for the women who have shared their gifts so generously and helped me to likewise brighten my own little world. 

 

Comments

[Donna Marie]

Have I ever told you how awesome your posts are? Thank you for keeping me focused on inspiration and thinking beyond myself. Dreaming about ideas and words and things are part of healing and making more of myself. Thank you for helping me do just that! I love it.