Brighten Your Day

My mother showed me a picture of my high school self in one of my favorite dresses. She then made a bet with me that I could not fit into it anymore. Well, I was able to fit into it again [I may have struggled a bit but what mama doesn’t know won’t hurt her ;-)]. However, that wasn’t what was so wonderful.

When I went to retrieve the dress from my closet I had to stop for a moment. That dress means a lot of things to me – my second kiss, my first and only dance at a “ball”, my participation in a major national singing competition with three of my close friends, amongst other things. As I stared on its deep blue aquatic colour my mind carried me away on a wave to times of real joy. It made me reminisce on my youth, friendships, and dreams. In turn, the nostalgia whispered in my ear what really matters in life, love. Embedded throughout all these memories is love, love for people, love for being in the moment, love for living out dreams, love for God, just love.

It's amazing how something so simple like a dress can add so much to the fabric of one's life. Whether it is kept away in the corner of the closet or guarded in the corners of your mind, every now and again it is good to revisit the things or thoughts that mean so much to you. I say this because I believe the simplest of things can help us to remember the simple truths of this thing we call life.