Wandering the beach I keep an eye out for the beauty of the broken shell; the shell shaped by rough tosses on the sand. While others may find joy in the perfect shell, untouched and untarnished by the power of the sea, I prefer the corkscrew middles polished bright.
My favor of broken shells always presents opportunities. There is an abundance of misshapen shells and sand dollar halves. I am never disappointed in my quest for perfection at the shore. Yes, beauty is often in the eye of the beholder!
One day walking in the shallows, I leaned over and picked up a newly broken sand dollar; the other half was tossed on the sand. The thought struck me, no matter how one tried to put the halves together again, the sand dollar is what it is…broken. Yes, you could glue the two halves together but the fault line is always there.
Perhaps I identify more readily with the beauty of a shell worn soft by sea and sand; the shell that has tumbled, landing broken in all the right places. In John Legend’s latest hit, he sings a song about his wife, and one line stands out for me: Your perfect imperfections. How beautiful to be loved with all our fault lines.
The summer presents us with opportunities for self-reflection and a sense of renewal. As the start of a new school year begins may we be gracious in the ways we interact with one another—the fault lines are also among the gems.