The Littlest Lights

My favorite ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree each year (besides the ones from my childhood, chosen especially for me by my mother; and the ones given to me by friends; and the others collected over a lifetime of travel; and especially the sweet ones made by my young son) are a set of tiny, iridescent glass globes.

I actually don’t know where I got them, but they’ve been with me each Christmas, going on two decades. They’re the finishing touch to each years’ glorious tree (even if some years’ trees are not), hung on empty branches, seeking and reflecting the Christmas tree lights. Without the little glass globes, the tree just does not shine. It takes time, but the more of them I hang, the more the tree glows.

They remind me to shine light on the dark parts of my life, to bring my bit of light to all the tiny places in the world where I can. We each can offer a bit of light, however small and insignificant it might seem. These are the lights that can make the biggest difference, that can make a dull life glow.