Creativity and Beauty in our Lives

By Sister Rosellyn Humbert

I once lived in a house with a yard. It was there I learned to grow flowers.  There was a beautiful climbing rose bush that bloomed almost all summer. Recently, I walked out of the building near St. Joseph Hall and saw that the beautiful rose bushes along the cloister walk were blooming.  It was the first time I noticed actual flowers. I had watched the buds form, but with all the wet weather I had not noticed how close they were to actually blooming. I smiled as I walked down the cloister walk.  Summer is near the roses said to me.

This spring has brought challenges to many because of all the rain. (This rain did bring the roses.) It is sometimes difficult to continue to look for the positive. Gratitude is one way I challenge myself when I feel negative.  I try to take the time to count my blessings. It is also important to take the time to savor success whether personal or professional.  We tend to skip over successes and just keep going. I am blessed with the many men and women who come forward to volunteer in our ministries. I met with a delightful woman recently who has a long history with the University and the Sylvania Franciscan Academy. Her willingness to become a volunteer and give us her time is a testament to all those who were with her along the way.  We may never know how the gifts we share in our day-to-day lives will blossom in the future.

Just as I noticed the roses, each of us need to take the time to reflect, to really look at our life. What makes me happy? What causes confusion? How can I look at something or someone differently so I can be more comfortable with myself and become aware of my automatic reactions? What habits can I change to respond more gracefully to the challenges at this time of my life?

I sometimes wish there were a way that what is said during the sharing at a funeral could be heard during the person’s life. I would hope it would cure some depression and questions about the worth of one’s life. It has happened to me. I once shared that I felt I was not creative because I was not an artist.  A friend pointed out the ways she perceived my creativity. I challenge myself and the reader to find the creativity and beauty in our lives. As Jesus said (I paraphrase) “The roses of summer do not toil or spin but who is arrayed like one of these?  .  . . . Of how much more beauty are you!”