7/14/2019 0 Comments Command Joy by GlowingWhen we Glow, we allow others around us to Glow too.
When I was a little girl, I spent my summers at my grandparent’s house in Ohio. Living in Texas and having to get to Ohio, we would pack up all of our stuff in a big Chevy suburban and drive north. It would take us 2-3 days to get there. A car ride for 2-3 days with 2 kids under the age of 10 in the back seat. Can you imagine what my parents had to deal with? Whoa. To me, the road trip was always a fun one and I looked forward to it every year. Growing up, I idolized my older brother and here he was stuck in the back seat with ME! I had 2 days of uninterrupted time to be with him. As the annoying little sister, I loved it. He was stuck with me for 2 entire days! My brother, of course, was not so amused. He did everything he could to entertain himself in any way possible to not have to deal with me. He would listen to music on his Walkman, play on his Gameboy, really do anything to avoid me. I would try to get his attention by pointing out things I saw outside the window - cars driving by, funny signs on the road. We would drive and drive and drive. Since I wasn’t getting anywhere annoying my brother, for hours I would stare out the window and dream of being an adult. I dreamt of a bigger, richer, more exciting life than the one I had with my family. One where I could do anything or be anything I wanted. When we would finally arrive at this small town in northern Ohio, I always noticed how it was so different than Texas. The houses were huddled together with smaller lawns, and with much different architecture. AND the best part? They all had basements!! I had never seen or heard of such a thing until I visited Ohio. It was like an entire built in extra playroom! There was a town square with a huge century old bell alongside train tracks. And a huge creek where kids went swimming in the summer. It seemed so quaint, so small, and so safe. The homes in my grandparent’s neighborhood were very early 1900s with large white columns and a screened door that slammed when people went in and out of it. Their house was the oldest in the neighborhood, on the corner and across the street from the elementary school. What I loved the most about my grandparent’s house was their huge front porch. It was one of those classically large porches that go all around half the house. They had a huge rocking chairs that felt like you were in a swing – I can still hear the sound of it creaking back and forth on the wooden porch. It was in Ohio, where, during the warm summer nights, we would see fireflies. I would sit in the chair on the front porch, lookout over the yard and see these little things light up in the sky! They were so beautiful – it was like a light show! Illuminating the darkness with their glow! I thought it was stunning. Here did these little tiny insects have so much power to glow and light up the night? As I look back on this now, I realize what an extraordinary thing this is. I also realize, that like a firefly, we have the same power. Like a firefly, it’s strength is not in itself, it is that when it is illuminated with others. We can glow through our hearts and light up the world! And when we all commit to doing so, what a well lit world this could be!
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