Embracing Beauty • Day 11 • The Beauty of Family

When I consider beauty in the world as well as in my own experiences in life, I have to conclude that one of the most beautiful ideas we have is the idea of family.

We didn’t have to be creatures of community, but we are. Imagine, we could have been like moles, solitary animals destined for a life of digging in the dirt all alone. We could have been like skunks, wandering around by ourselves in the forest, scaring off everyone else with our stench, only coming together when we’re desperate for each other’s warmth in the frozen winter.

Maybe those animals do paint a picture of the way we are sometimes. But we aren’t our best in those pictures of the solitary life, are we?

We’re at our best when we’re not facing the world alone.

Even the most introverted among us have to admit to be the case. We have to confess that even though occasional solitude is a gift, a bigger and better gift are the people who genuinely care about us, and who are always there for us, and who love us and accept us in spite of who we are, not because of who we are.

And we call this gift family.

What does this word mean to you?

I asked my friends on FB to send in favorite pictures of their families, and I’ve assembled quite a collection of beautiful people. While most of these pictures are people with their blood relatives, or their spouses and kids, there are also pictures of people connected to others by a different bond – a bond that is no less family than the pictures of people connected by DNA.

As my friend Sarah put it, “…family is not just those who share the same blood, but those who have been with you through thick and thin, who love you no matter your faults (and sometimes because of them), and have no problem making themselves silly to join in the fun.”

Well said, Sarah.

So, for today’s beauty embrace, I give you a gallery of beautiful families from all over my world. And if you’d like to add your family, please send me a pic at info@thimblerigark.com, and I’ll grow the gallery.