And the Winner of the Beauty Contest is ...

I woke up at 7 am this morning.  And, it was dark- very dark.  Living in the upper Northern hemisphere has its charms, but a long and dark winter is not one of them.

As I prepare to enter my third winter season in Estonia, I was inspired to create a habit of noticing the beautiful.  I don't want to just notice it, or envy it. I want to soak it in and realize that if that beauty truly exists, then it's a part of everything.  It's in my challenges.  It's in my accomplishments.  It's in my relationships.  It's in joy and sadness.

And so I started a beauty contest on my blog here. I wanted us to all take a moment to capture the beautiful that truly does exist in each of our lives - to pause and let the beauty soak in.  To feel the persistent rush and stress lift, if only for a moment, and just smile as we notice it.

Now it is time to announce the winner of the contest:  Andrea Ursel.

As someone who has battled the "deep dark" she speaks of, I know that true beauty has the possibility to accompany us - even in those unlit places.  As Andrea shares, the darkness dissipates, little by little, as we move the focus off of ourselves and on to the beauty of those that surround us.

You can read her winning entry on her blog HERE.

Continue to notice and carry the beauty with you!