The Twin Cities are not only in the grip of summer but also the grip of road construction season. More often than not the frustration of driving with all the stopping and starting of traffic has sent me away from the freeways and onto neighborhood streets. This is not a bad thing. Someone told me once that you should change your usual pattern of driving to work anyway as it helps your brain function. I don't know if this is true but, since it seemed like being able to work a crossword puzzle while driving, I liked the idea.

Yesterday I gave up on 94 East and took the Cretin/Vandalia exit heading into St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood. Leisurely driving on Cretin Avenue' tree lined streets, I saw a small sign nailed to a telephone pole: "You are beautiful."

It was a welcome message. I was not feeling particularly beautiful. It was the end of a long day. My clothes were rumpled, my hair had gone flat. It was warm in the car and so I felt a little sweaty. But I noticed the reaction in my body to that message. I smiled. I actually felt lighter, more relaxed, perhaps even more beautiful.

Who knows what the original purpose of this sign was? All I know is that its presence on this static pole lifted my spirits. I thought about how little it really takes to lift the crud of a busy day. These three simple words had delivered a gift to me. I then wondered why I don't do more to offer the same kind of lift to those I work with, live with, encounter in my daily living. What might happen if I, if you, would randomly say "You are beautiful." to people? Who knows? I think it might be worth a try.

Further along my route home, I saw a young girl, possibly four years old. She was wearing a Snow White dress and a Burger King crown. I smiled. Someone must have said to her "You are beautiful." and she decided to dress accordingly.

"If through delight in the beauty of these things people assumed them to be gods, let them know how much better than these is their Maker, for the author of beauty created them." Wisdom 13: 3