Lovely Is All Around

For those of us who have the gift of sight, we manage to become oblivious to the beauty before us. Rather than standing in awe at a sunrise, we prefer to rush to work or hit the snooze button to get another eight minutes of sleep. Even if we cannot see it, lovely is all around us if we simply look for it.

Annie F. Downs has written a new book called Looking For Lovely. In what seems to be a common trend around here lately, I am not her target audience, but I greatly enjoyed the book. This is the first book I have read by Downs and I admit I do like her thoughts and her cadence. I know that I do not understand the chapter called “Nail Polish” and many other female thoughts she talks about, I did understand the “Sushi” chapter. That chapter seemed to speak right to my as I am always more in a hurry to devour the sushi than to take the time to find the beauty in it, which is what Downs is encouraging me to do.

We must be active in our search for the lovely things God places in our lives on a daily basis. Rarely will these things pop off out of the background and to the front of our eyes. Instead, we will find these things when we seek them. While she did not mention it directly, I believe what Annie is also telling us to do is to slow down. Life was not meant to be rushed, but instead it was meant to be enjoyed. While we are so consumed with chasing down the next rush, we should be enjoying the food, community, music, gifts, and many other things that God has given us.

Though this is my first encounter with Annie, I am sure it will not be my last. Her words inspire me to look for the lovely all around me. If I cannot see it, I am not looking hard enough. In truthfulness, I would recommend this book to any person. I do not think it is written for any particular group, but rather it is something that we could all benefit from. Seriously, go get this book.

I received this book for free from B&H in exchange  for an unbiased review. The words above are my own and have not been altered in any way by the publisher.