Day in a Sentence Release: The Beauty We Love

Finally, finally Day In A Sentence release day is here!  What a joy to gather sentences about the beauty you love.  I savored each one as I tucked it away for today.  Before I release your words, I've got to tell you about lanterns.  Yes, lanterns.

During Chinese New Year the city of Pingxi, Taiwan hosts the Heavenly Lantern Festival, where thousands upon thousands of paper lanterns are released into the night sky.

Throughout history, paper lanterns have been used for many purposes including to send messages over enemy lines in times of war.

But the lanterns released on the night of the festival serve a much different purpose.  Each lantern is scribed with prayers, prayers to be carried to God, that He might answer them and bestow His favor.

My heart thrills at the thought of writing and releasing prayers.

As I sit here reading your sentences one last time, I can't help but think of the lanterns.  I'm hopeful that by releasing our words, the beauty we wrote about will appear in abundance this new year.

Here are this week's sentences (Apologies to Amanda C., Kim K. and Deborah C. for not including a hyperlink because I lost your site addresses in the process of pasting the sentences.):

"This has been a difficult week in our household – transitioning back into routine after two weeks home with Mom and Dad, really took a toll on our toddlers. This week’s DIAS helped remind me that they are the beauties we love, and must be our priority pupils, because being teachers parents is what we do." -Amanda C.

'"Don’t start reading… let the beauty we love be what we do..." Tomorrow I promise to wake up and grab my guitar and play into the day."  -Bonnie K.

"I can’t take credit for 'You’ve got to be a friend to have a friend,' but there is beauty in maintaining old and forging new friendships; I reached out to a new friend today." -Amiable Amiable

"Poetry is the beauty I love and this week it came to me wrapped in the secure arms of my husband, in the sweet tang of blackberries, and in the light of the elusive winter sun." -Alicia M.

“I love to sit and draw funny, silly cartoons. Some have suns and others have moons. Some are gaffes but most do get a few laughs.” -Carl D.

"The beauty I love is often found through the lens of my camera. Today I captured the lustrous pink of the setting sun reflected in the river, filtered through the barren branches of winter trees." -Lynn J.

"The beauty of nature fills my heart; it overflows and shines out in love to others." -Heidi R.

"I woke to the frosty foggy morning, with salutations to the sun that I knew to still be in the sky, only slightly hidden away... as sometimes my joy may be."  -Kim K.

"I dig in the dirt of my soul, of my garden, the black half moons beneath my fingernails reminding: hard work purifies spirit & body; and my tears became the rain for the seed of hope I planted today." -cr8df8

"I was watching snowflakes fall as I walked my dog early in the morning the other day — in the hours before the neighborhood arose — and the quiet of the moment was so powerful and so beautiful, I wanted to wrap it up my scarf and take it with me for the day." -Kevin H.

"In those lush pre-dawn hours, when, in between, my being remembers that the path of attraction knows the way, without haste to get lost in busy-ness, though good work may be true, without need for company, though that could be the sun’s reflection, too, but mostly in trust remembering to release into the beauty of love." -Joseph M.

"We can behold beauty, but it cannot be held so today I attempted to pass it along, through the comforting warmth of a kind smile and a reassuring touch, the uplifting joy of a shared giggle, the simulated grace of letting go."-Hippie C.

"The beauty that I have come to love is the every day imperfection of those we love, which in its flawed unraveling, reveals the soul." -Deborah C.

Now that we've set our words free, watch this clip of the Heavenly Lantern Festival and then add it to your list of things to do before you die.  And if you have a second, pop over here to nominate me for a Bloggie.  Oh and be sure to join this week's Day in a Sentence over here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hqIrvQUZN0