I met Leslie at the magical Laity Lodge at a conference in the summer of 2019. Little did either of us know what the next year would hold. The way she sees, the way she writes about what she sees, and the way she embraces her life and family reminds me of Annie Dillard’s quote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.” Leslie is “living a full life, full in the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:19 MSG. She is a kindred treasurer hunter in search of beauty everywhere and in everyone. Thank you, Leslie, for these words.
“Christ plays in ten-thousand places”[1] — even in the midst of sorrow and suffering. Seeking out beauty has been one way to build my hope in Jesus through the hardships of this year. This daily attentiveness has been how I have sought to “co-operate with holy grace in every moment of my existence."[2]
The ground is still solid.
The grass is still full of green.
For an hour each morning, I take a walk, eyes open to my surroundings. The piles of clouds and the flirting sunlight inevitably grab my attention, as do porches with rocking chairs, overflowing flower boxes, dancing butterflies, and leaves floating down to the pavement. These walks continued when spring turned into summer and summer flowed into fall. Details I was attentive to have nestled into my imagination, helping me hold onto the grace of a quiet hope.
The squirrels are still running along high wires.
The bees are still searching for clover.
In 2020 I have been battling Stage 4 melanoma and Stage 2 breast cancer and struggling with the side effects of the cancer medicines—such as inflamed knees. Each morning walk is more than exercise—it’s a way to loosen my knees, clear out my worries, and be attentive to God’s work. During this time of cancer and COVID I have tried to pay attention to all the goodness that comes to me. Scripture, nature, poetry, friends’ messages, songs, stories, and artwork have been my daily companions. My spirit agrees with Walter Wangerin, who said of Beauty that I should not simply “make a memory of it, but to know it now.”[3]
The trees are still playing shadows with the sun.
And the neighbors’ flowers are still blooming.
A friend encouraged me to share with my community the beauty I was seeing in the valley of the shadow of death. These words were an invitation to keep doing what has been natural to me over the years: loving Jesus by sharing beauty with the people in my life. So, I have posted online and written letters with Bible verses, song lyrics, poems, book excerpts, and artwork.
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love;
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.[4]
Jesus’ question “What do you want me to do for you?”[5] adorns a postcard on my desk, reminding me to be bold in my prayers during this crazy, upside-down time. Among my many requests, I often pray, “Lead us this day, Lord Christ, that we might walk its paths in the light of the hope of our coming redemption.”[6] When we all emerge from this dark season, I still want my eyes fixed on paths lit by hope. Every day I want to see the beauty of the Lord resting upon me[7], and I want to be someone who both sees and shares with others how Christ plays in ten-thousand places.
[1] From the poem “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” Gerard Manly Hopkins: Poems and Prose (Penguin Classics, 1985)
[2] Schleske, Martin; The Sound of Life’s Unspeakable Beauty (Eerdmans, 2020)
[3] Wangerin, Walter; Letters from the Land of Cancer (Zondervan, 2010)
[4] Psalm 90:14 (ESV)
[5] Mark 10:51 (ESV)
[6] McKelvey, Douglas; Every Moment Holy (Rabbit Room, 2019)
[7] Psalm 90:17 (KJV)
Leslie Anne Bustard takes great joy in loving people and places, whether at church, around her kitchen table, or in a classroom. She delights in words and the way poets and storytellers put them together, and at the beauty found in the details of ordinary life. Reading, writing, teaching literature, baking, producing high school theater, and museum-ing are some of Leslie’s favorite things. Leslie writes for The Cultivating Project and has also written for Deeply Rooted magazine. As one of the partners of Square Halo Books, Leslie created and hosted the podcast The Square Halo. Now she is developing and editing a book titled Wild Things and Castles in the Sky: A Guide to the Best Children’s Books. Another place to find her work is her Caring Bridge, where she shares her cancer journey, her love for Scripture, poetry, and art, and how Jesus has been sustaining her.