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| Tintern Abbey - Photo Credit: Elizabeth Van Tassel |
Beauty
Echoes in the Abbey
Studying in England for a summer, many years past, I
was able to hike in the footsteps of William Wordsworth, right where he wrote A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey in
Wales. It was a glorious day, with full summer sun. Meadows were filled with
cows along the path that led to a sturdy hike into rising hills and along
wooded trails.
When we got to a break in the trees, a light breeze
blowing, we gazed down at the Abbey ruins far below. Then, with lilted speech,
my English professor read the poem to us, and all these years later I remember
the awe it inspired. Beauty became more magnificent to behold in that moment.
Little did I know that Wordsworth’s philosophy in the very poem itself, of
storing away beautiful moments, would prove to be a lifeline in big moments of
difficulty and challenge down my own road in life.
Fast-forward ten years, to the middle of the night,
smoke swirling, our doorbell ringing, and learning we had about five minutes to
evacuate our home in Southern California. The Witch Creek wildfire had its
blazing fingers across the street. In minutes, we packed the family and a few
memories up, and left the area. In the hours to come our home burned to the
ground on national television as we fled, happy to be alive, but stunned to
realize we had lost all our possessions.
How
do you recover from something so devastating? How do you teach your children
about goodness and giving when all is taken?
Perhaps the most important step in our recovery was
realizing first that every good thing comes from above. My husband’s first
words, after getting the call that all was lost, were, “It was all His
anyways.”
But eventually, when a huge season of loss ensues,
you look for something greater than yourself to remind you that you’re not
defined by your tragedy. That you won’t always be walking in death and
destruction. That the essence of you may be changed, but there are greater
hopes still alive in those dark moments.
For me, beauty has been that kind of lifeline. Our
family learned to deal with the darkness, and then to set it aside and enjoy a
walk on the beach, a fun park with our kids, or a dinner out. Those pockets of
grace served to refill us, and still do, for the “dreariness of life” as
Wordsworth said.
I’ve collected a few shards of pottery and items
from our old life into a curio table in our family room. Most days, there are
piles of Legos and books stacked on top. But if you gaze in deeper, a keepsake
from my mountain hike in Wales still lives in the hub of our lives. I found
this Welsh Love Spoon in the valley beside Tintern Abbey. I’ve always wondered
why this made it through the fires, due to the kindness of a fire fighter who
set it aside.
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| Welsh Love Spoon |
Perhaps it was for you, and not for me. To encourage
you to find moments of beauty in your daily walk to bring you strength and
hope, and not lose your deepest dreams along the way. And that, in itself,
brings me great joy.
Selection of A
Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth, vs. 24-36
Though absent long,
These forms of beauty
have not been to me,
As is a landscape to a
blind man's eye:
But oft, in lonely
rooms, and mid the din
Of towns and cities, I
have owed to them,
In hours of weariness,
sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and
felt along the heart,
And passing even into
my purer mind
With tranquil
restoration:—feelings too
Of unremembered
pleasure; such, perhaps,
As may have had no
trivial influence
On that best portion of
a good man's life;
His little, nameless,
unremembered acts
Of kindness and of
love.
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| Miles Above Tintern - Photo Credit: Elizabeth Van Tassel |
Elizabeth Van Tassel, resiliency expert and fantasy
writer, has really lived a life with diamonds, wildfires, and miracles. Called
“a modern-day Madeline L’Engle,” Elizabeth winds tales of wondrous gems and
destructive loss into fantastic fantasy for the next generation and beyond. She
also speaks, gives classes, and blogs weekly for adults and kids about living a
resilient life. A wildfire survivor who’s lost everything and bounced back, and
guided her family through life-threatening medical trials, Elizabeth uses her
creativity and stories of survival to help others rise above circumstances and
begin meaningful life changes. She and her products have been featured on
television, bringing others resources for hope.
To supply her daily fix of beauty, she’s known to
use her gemology expertise to hunt down pretty gems and scenic moments, and her
thirst for adventure to seek out great family-friendly activities (seen
regularly on her Instagram HERE and YouTube
videos HERE.
There are free gifts and resources for resilience on her new website, at ElizabethVanTassel.com. She supplies
moments of fantasy and deeper resources for life’s challenges on her author
Facebook HERE,
moments of beauty on her Pinterest HERE, great reads to discover
on her Goodreads account HERE,
and tidbits of intrigue on her Twitter HERE.
When disaster strikes, or a major life change
happens, there’s a myriad of systems, decisions, and situations that happen all
at once. Paperwork climbs in the corners, threatening any bit of hope with a
feeling of desperation. And many of your key decisions, and, even your outlook,
during this critical transition will change the course of your whole life!
Elizabeth is a veteran survivor of wildfires that took it all and also several
family medical emergencies that changed their lives in a moment. In an easily
downloadable video series, she shares her seven steps to living resiliently
within the context of any kind of new beginning.
