a shine

a shine Missing sunrises and sunsets. So, it is the season for making my own light. Creating spark. Finding flame. Doing what it takes so these days that seem so much the same are broken apart. Bit by bit. And I put a shine to the everyday moments. Seven-forty-five. Thanksgiving morning. In the basement. Dim bulb. Our adopted stray crunching cat food. Hum of the computer. Java hitting the bloodstream. Fingers to the keys. S.B.’s just got up. And now, I listen for my favorite sounds. Their little feet. Out of bed. Across the hardwood floor. Their Good Mornings and the start of another day. And our third Thanksgiving in Alpena. The place where we started. Took root. Then broke away from long enough so we could come back with direction. Intention. A heavy dose of follow through. We live a good life. We’ve got the basics—roof, clothes, food and health—but we have worked for and received much more. And so, as often as we can, we try to give back. Because when you have kids the one thing you should want them to hear—even though they cannot yet understand it—is how good they have it. They are not hand pumping water from an icy well in the middle of winter to heat for potato soup. They are not shitting in buckets. Sleeping on the floor. They are not huddled together. Hiding and scared in the dark. Wondering why their parents fight so much. Instead, they are cozy. Well-fed. Have nice bedrooms. Decent clothes. Books, movies, toys. Love without bounds. And they know that some kids don’t have as much. That people don’t always do the right things. And that even though we have stuff and we have each other, it’s most important that we reach out. To pick up trash that isn’t ours. Take in strays. Buy toys for tots. Pay a stranger’s bill at the check out. And move through this world guided by the will to give more than we receive. I’ve been missing sunrises and sunsets. But that’s okay because this is the season for making our own light. Creating spark. Finding flame. Doing what it takes so these days that seem so much the same are broken apart. Bit by bit. And we are putting a shine to the everyday moments. Happy Turkey Day. ~ K.J.