There were two heavy, large, dull candlesticks in my attic. They’d belonged to some old ancestor of mine, so I’d kept them over the years, in spite of their tarnish, thick grime, crusted wax, and dust. I’d inherited them almost thirty years ago and had never once used them. In my process of clearing the clutter in my attic, I thought it was perhaps time to throw them away. It would be part of my process of lightening up. But, on a last-minute whim, I soaked them for a few hours in white vinegar, baking soda, and warm water. As if by magic, the grime fell away and revealed two extraordinary candlesticks that glowed and shimmered in the late afternoon light. I thought how covered with grime and dust and low expectations we all tend to get. Life pigeonholes us and restricts us – makes us believe that ‘we can’t’ or ‘it’s too late’ or ‘what’s the point.’ But what if we soaked ourselves free of the outward concepts we have, and let ourselves glow from the inside? Wouldn’t we feel more as though we belonged? Shining does not mean we don’t let others shine: it means we express our own beauty and value and by doing that we show other people how to express theirs. Let yourself glimmer. Soak in your glow. Shine on and know you belong here.
