The Beauty of Value Added...

'Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder'...heard that before? I just read an article debating the beauty of businesses offering "value added" to their retail products. For instance, cosmetic companies bonus you a lipstick if you purchase so much product...an insurance company agrees to add one car to your current policy if you already have two listed for a minimal discount...etc....this is now a very common practice for consumers to filter through during the buying process.

I saw this sign recently and felt this was very straight forward and certainly made a buying impact to their clientele. But, very often as we walk around...do our typical errands...transfer our children from place to place...we are surrounded by "value added" beautiful, visual eye candy...but, do we see it? We all seem to be so focused on the destination we neglect to see what is in between point "a" and point "b".

These photos represent just a few snapshots of "value added beauty" that easily could slip buy if you don't re-set the mind and eyes to not filter so much out as we go through the day.

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing

anything that is beautiful;

for beauty is God's handwriting,

a wayside sacrement.

Welcome it in every fair face,

in every fair sky, in every fair flower,

and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."

--Emerson