“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.” – Camille Pissarro

I think, according to his statement, that the painter Camille Pissarro must have felt like a truly blessed human being. His paintings portray common men and women in simple, natural landscapes, doing ordinary and everyday things without artifice or embellishment. He saw all the beauty there, residing in the humble, quiet moments he painted.

I have always felt a bit blessed myself at being able to see beauty and joy in the small and often overlooked. It’s like finding secret treasure, a quality that I take no pride in, really, only a a kind of private pleasure I feel happy to recognize. And one for which I am endlessly grateful, and hopeful more people will come to share.

Life is full of those lovely, small, blessed moments. Today, I think, has shown many of them to me. I saw again the beauty and quality of my friendships, felt the love I have in my life, that I give as much as receive. I recognized the value of cherishing the time I have, moments that can so quickly alter and never return. And I felt anew the power of simply asking the universe for help, whatever form it takes, and being heard, listened to, and, I believe, answered.