On my nightstand is a copy of Brene Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection.
It's marked up, dogeared and it's traveled around bit. Every now and then I pick it up and scan through my underlines and stars to see what has touched me on previous readings.
This morning I came upon a quote that Brene included:
People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
It was underlined and starred a few times. I like the truth in it, the hopefulness that there can be light in the darkness.
I'm not in a particularly dark place, don't get me wrong. Many of my anxiety and depression triggers are being helped and I'm carefully watching where my mind goes these days. Retraining and relearning, not only life without alcohol, but life without urgency and panic. That's not to say there aren't hard days. Long days. Days where I don't want to get out of bed and when the kids watch more tv than not. But they're fewer and farther in between. And on those days, I'm still finding ways to let my light shine outward, and receive a little bit inward as well...
Hope is a beautiful thing.
{The other day was one where it took extra effort to let the light anywhere... so we went to the beach... where waves glitter and salt air acts a a slap in the face for clarity and calm... }
{two things to note in this last picture... first, Fynn is not throwing the rock at his sister. I asked him to check where Paige was before he chucked the rock into the surf... so he did... and then threw the rock in the ocean. Second, that peninsula behind the kids? With houses? Growing up we lived there for a year'ish... I love seeing the kids seeing the things I saw growing up that are so ingrained in my memory... }
Happy Weekend all... let your light shine out and let some in...