What's Your Fingerprint??

I've been thinking a lot lately about how unique each person in this world is. No two people are the same. Now, you may think "Wait. What about identical twins." Yes, identical twins may look the same but their soul, their personalities, their facial expressions are each very unique. I have witnessed this with two twin girls I know - they look identical but even at 1.5 years old you can tell them apart by their demeanor, their personality, their actions, etc... It's really a beautiful thing that to the outside world you can look just like someone else but in reality you are still a unique, one-of-a-kind person.

I think a beautiful example of how unique we are is that we are all created with our own, individual fingerprints - no two people have the same fingerprint! That blows my mind...with all the people in the world, how many circular patterns for a print can there be?? Evidently, a lot!

So, yesterday I started to think about how if I am a unique, one-of-a-kind person with a unique fingerprint and this one life to live, what do I want this life to look like? After all, I only get one shot! What "fingerprint" do I want to leave? (and I am speaking metaphorically now)

As you can see from the picture above, I put my fingerprints in my sketchbook and wrote some questions I want to continue to think about...
What's my fingerprint on the world?
What's my fingerprint on Caroline? (my daughter)
What's my fingerprint on friends and family?
What's my fingerprint on strangers?
What's my fingerprint on society?
What's my fingerprint in art?
What's my fingerprint on me?

Just some food for thought. Leave a comment if you want or if you have any insight/thoughts. I'd love to hear from you!

It's About Love

A beautiful quote sent to me by my husband....

"Don`t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don`t walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend." -Albert Camus

This speaks profoundly to our marriage and what we desire but it also speaks to our life.

When I think about what I want in life, I really don't desire to lead or to follow anyone - what I truely desire is to walk with people through this journey we call life. To come along side those I love and to be a support, an encourager, a shoulder to cry on, a friend to laugh with, a buddy to drink with, etc....

If I can journey with people in this world, if I can walk among humanity and contribute positively to people's lives, then I will consider my life full and successful. To me it's not about money, fame, career success ... it's about love.

"Blessed"

I found a piece of Beauty this morning in a song I was listening to while sitting at work...

"Blessed" by Brett Dennen

I welcome the sun
The clouds and rain
The wind that sweeps the sky clean and lets the sun shine again
This is the most magnificent life has ever been
Here is heaven and earth and the brilliant sky inbetween

Blessed is this life and I'm going to celebrate being alive.

I dwell in the darkness
I let in the light
I sleep in the afternoon and become the noise in the night
I trespass in temptation suffer in sacrifice
But I awake each day with the new sunrise.

Blessed is this life oh, and I'm gonna celebrate being alive.

Beauty

I have recently begun a study of "Beauty" - it's a word that is used abundantly in our society but I feel like it is used in a very superficial way. We describe people, celebrities, homes, clothes, etc. as beautiful and it's true, these things are often nice to look at. But I would call all of this glamour, not beauty.

Real, true Beauty is deeper than what's on the surface. For example, the Beauty of a person is not external - yes, they may have a pleasing face but what makes that face truely beautiful is the soul underneath it.

Think about a time that you have witnessed true Beauty -- maybe a sunset in Maui, an eagle soaring over the Grand Canyon, a child running into the arms of her Mother, a swan swimming across a glass lake, a rainbow across the sky,...what did you feel in that moment? How did your soul, your core, respond? Did you feel peaceful? Did you feel alive? Did you feel courageous? Inspired? Joyful? Hopeful?

Continue to think about some of the truely beautiful moments in your life as you read the following descriptions of what Beauty is:

Beauty "suspends the desire to be elsewhere." --Ken Weber

Beauty is moving and uplifting.

"Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously."

"Beauty is serene and at the same time exhilarating; it increases ones sense of being alive."

"Beauty gives us a feeling of wonder and a sense of timelessness."

"Beauty is dynamic." -- Rollo May

As I've been reading, writing, reflecting, experiencing Beauty I realize that it's all around us every day, every moment. We just have to be willing to take the time to see it. This is a great quote from John O'Donohue in his book 'Beauty: The Invisible Embrace'... "We can slip into the Beautiful with the same ease as we slip into the seamless embrace of water."

So really, it's up to us. Beauty feeds the soul in a way that nothing else can. When we awaken to the Beauty around us we become aware of a new way to be in the world - we are more joyful, more whole, we find more peace within ourselves and the crazy, busy world we live in.

I will leave you with two final thoughts (not my own, taken from O'Donohue's book)...

"The wonder of the Beautiful is its ability to surprise us. With swift, sheer grace, it is like a divine breath that blows the heart open."

My goal, Erin Drez's goal, is this..."to think, feel and act beautifully in the world; to create and live a life that awakens the Beautiful."


Below are a few Beautiful moments I've caught on camera over the last few weeks...

Nap-Time Project

A little piece I put together during my daughters nap last week.