What people, moments, or things have shined light in my life recently?

My first thought is of the vintage store I stopped at Sunday, after brunch with my husband. I hadn’t been in before and impulsively asked if we could stop there. Such a delightful place: Full of glass objects carefully arranged in groupings of color and topic on shelf after shelf. Here, all the deep red vases. There, the orange swans with graceful curving necks. Not the usual hodge-podge of many vintage places; an artist’s eye arranged the shelves. I talked with the woman behind the counter and learned it was her daughter-in-law’s talents on display. That’s its own kind of light, the ability to see how things can be done. The day was gray and overcast. I’m sure if I go back on a sunny day the store will glow.

I did something that felt like shining a light myself. Our staff meeting notes include a section for kudos to each other and people in our agency who do something great, make someone’s work easier, create something awesome. I remind others to share those and if someone says something in chat or email I pick it up to add to the document.

I went through the whole year’s notes, compiled the list for each person of the gratitude others felt for what they do, and sent them an email yesterday with a note that these were all reminders of how much they contribute. It made me smile to revisit the year and to see how supportive they all are of each other. That’s a light that will be passed along.

As the Buddha said, “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”