The world's beauty as seen from backstage

“Sometimes people are beautiful.

Not in looks.

Not in what they say.

Just in what they are.” 

~Markus Zusak, The Messenger

Dear Readers,

In a world children are left alone in orphanages and countries try to kill one another, it's hard to always believe that quote is true. I actually stumbled across it the other night while searching for a quote from my favorite book, The Book Thief. The quote I was looking for is from Liesel Meminger, a young girl who grows up in Nazi Germany...and hides a Jew. She says (about helping Max); "We were just being people. That's what people do." 

Both quotes are so simple and beautiful to me. Sometimes I get bogged down with the ugliness of the world, and forget how simply beautiful it can all be.

Yes, we are all sinful and selfish and human, but our humanity isn't always all bad. Sometimes it is quite beautiful.


Like when I come into Cate's play after the SAT and all of those kids and their mamas ask how it went.

Like when friends offer kind words of encouragement after a particularly rough tech week. 

Like when everyone poses for this picture
that I wanted for some reason :) 

When students from the play my mom directed (and Benjamin, Mason, and I stage managed) come see our performance and hug us with a word of congratulations. 


When a sweet friend comes over the night before opening night to go through my script line by line until I'm able to play the Jester with confidence. 

I know all of these are relatively simple acts of love. But that's what makes them so precious. They signify people being people; doing what we were created to do. Love and encourage. 

I hope someone shows you some of the world's beauty this week, dear ones. And I hope you are able to, in turn, "do what people do" for someone else. Even the smallest gesture can have so much impact. Today we were walking around a restaurant where we went for Mother's Day, and were looking for a ramp. A man noticed and pointed us in the right direction. My dad and I were honestly surprised that he would, a.) take notice of the ramp in the first place, and b.) see our trouble and help out. He was just doing what people do; and yet it was a meaningful gesture to us. No act of kindness goes unnoticed. (Despite what Elphaba says. :) I told you this was as seen from backstage, didn't I?)

After this week of simply sweet acts of love, my heart feels overwhelmed. I'm so very thankful for these dear ones, and this community I'm blessed to be a part of. 

Your Blogger,

 Claire