"people are like stained glass windows. they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within." - elizabeth kubler ross
(stained glass rose window from notre dame in paris)
i remember when we were little, my dad had a stained glass workshop set up in our dining room at our old house. we rarely used that dining room for eating, but i would use it to do homework, practice the piano or play hide-n-seek with my sister. it had this golden chandelier that you could pull down or push up to any level you wanted, so my dad would pull it all the way down for brightness and make all sorts of things. i remember the stained glass apple in particular, the tree sculptures he would make out of the old copper wires, and clocks made from old computer parts.
once, he had been working on a painting in the garage. it was raining and my sister and i were going to play at our next door neighbor's house (sarah from england with the giant pet rat. ewww, i know, but as kids, you don't give a flying crud). naturally, instead of using umbrellas like normal human beings, we decided to use my dad's giant canvas as a shield from the rain since we could carry it over our heads and it would protect the both of us at once. our logic was very, very sound.
whenever we go to dinner, my dad always does origami with the paper slip that covers his chopsticks, while waiting for our food to come out. this results in frogs, cranes, stars, mini-humans. i don't even think he realizes that he does this. whenever he goes hiking, he brings home branches, stones and what not, and new sculptural creations pop up in our garden. his hands and his mind are constantly in motion, making do with whatever is around, which actually also makes him quite handy around the house. he fixes leaky toilets, cobbles broken shoes, installs new lighting, builds stone walkways. the man is a fixer and a doer, and he can do it in his sleep.
which makes me think. that when something comes that naturally to you, it is a gift you must nurture and let flourish, for that is what will sustain you when all else falls dark. my dad is never dark, and it is hard for me to comprehend him as a man under stress, because while i may be flailing about, he has already moved onto dreaming of what is next.
finding people with that strong inner light is truly rare, and i somehow got lucky enough to be born to TWO such people.
today, i am just genuinely appreciating all the beautiful stained glass in my life. i feel humbled with gratitude, and at peace.
thank you universe.
(nyc)
