Kimberly lives in Switzerland with her husband and favorite little people.  She reads a lot, writes a lot, and goes grocery shopping . . . a lot.   She has a new found appreciation for American sized refrigerators and Target, and copes with these losses by drinking lots of tea, blogging and God’s grace. You can find Kimberly at her blog, Find Time for Tea.

My family and I recently shook the dust of New Jersey off our feet, and planted them squarely in Switzerland. We have been living here for a few months now, and I’m afraid that reality has begun to set in. I was under the (false) impression that my days were going to be filled with alpine views, a fondue dinner and a gigantic helping of chocolate for dessert. I have since discovered that chocolate and cheese have a negative effect on the bum, and the alpine views? Let’s just say that for the five days we’ve had sun they’ve been amazing. The other fifty-five days of rain and fog have left something to be desired.

I wake up early most mornings. After making myself a cup of tea, I shuffle to the window for my daily alpine check. If I can see the soft silhouette of the mountains through low-slung clouds and lake mist, I anticipate a beautiful day. By the time I manage to get the kids in the car for the ride to school, the silhouette has become a vivid backdrop of snow-capped peaks against hazy sky. This beauty . . . it never ceases to make my throat catch, and the in and out of my breathing becomes more whispered prayer than oxygen instinct. In those moments, I give thanks. I thank and marvel and wonder at what words were spoken over this land that would cause such beauty to rise from the earth.

Then there are the “other” days, those days that are all rain soaked gray skies and cranky, stir crazy kids in the backseat. On those days I look past the windshield wipers and my gaze rests not on the Alps, but on the tractor-trailer in front of me. My prayers become less thanks and wonder, and more “I might go insane if we have to spend one more afternoon trapped in the house with these three little people. Amen.” It’s difficult to see past that sometimes. It’s difficult to remember that behind the fog and friction, there still lies something lovely. That mountains continue to stretch white washed peaks heavenward, and beauty exists just beyond the gray. It’s a matter of having the eyes to see it, to look beyond the mess, the cranky kids, the unmet expectations, and know that beyond it all there is something worth seeing.

A clear day with a view for miles is something I treasure, but I’m learning to treasure the other days as well. Because even in the fog and muck, I know that just beyond where I am right now, beauty rises from the dust of every day life.

Thank you, Kimberly, for that beautiful perspective. Don’t you love her? She’s the one I told you about last week. I am excited to share more guest posts as the weeks continue. I invite you to welcome her in the comments, visit Find Time for Tea and love her even more.