I’ve yet to capture it on film. (But certainly in the shutter of my heart.) Some call it golden hour. And I suppose, as glorious as it is, it’s not that uncommon, but in this house I live, at this one certain time, I have witnessed this light between rooms, not only shine and illuminate, but bend.
It’s just a small window in the sewing room, Grandma Elsie’s sewing room, but when the hour is golden, the light thrusts through every pane. And you may think thrust is too strong, but wouldn’t it have to in order to bounce off of two doors, across the hallway and land beautifully upon the painting of the children at the beach? It’s almost as if it knows the destination, knows how deserving they are of the light.
It doesn’t last long, but spectacular rarely needs a lot of time to make its point. It’s in these tiny, well lit moments that I remember how lucky we are. How we are given everything we need, and more! How even in our struggles of darkness, in our failed attempts to reach all that shines…with obstacles lining the way — magically, joyfully, light bends. Golden.
It’s just a small bundle of price tags. I found them in an old bureau. Having nothing to price, I began writing on them the things that are the most valuable to me. Tagging what I’m ever grateful for. My priceless.
On my best days, I add to the list. Writing with a fever all the good things happening. On my other days, you know the ones, when you’re knee deep in all that otherness, I still have the hand and heart free to give the bundle a little shake, a little shake that reveals my growing everything. A revelation that makes me add to the list — wisdom — short for, “On the days that I can’t create something beautiful, at least let me have the wisdom to see it.”
Since creating my gratitags, one thing has become so clear. I am the author. The keeper of. It’s so easy to think someone else has the power to change your day, ruin your day. I’m as guilty as the next person, this giving it away. But then I see my tiny tags. Still all tied together. I step out of the other, into the everything, and I am gratefully whole.
