My husband has a December birthday. Earlier this week we were discussing birthdays in years past. We have celebrated at home, at restaurants and when he turned 40, I took him on a special trip. The year that followed, I was thinking that he would be a little disappointed because I didn’t have a trip planned or really anything very spectacular just a Saturday afternoon basketball game in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan with the kids. We had pizza first and then we headed over to Crisler Arena. I went to the box office asked for five tickets, paid for them and I was hand three that were together, and then two a little further away, all in the blue section which is bottom half of the arena. The Hubby and I sat in the two seats a little higher up, and we had the kids sit in the three together right down below where we could see them. A few minutes after we sat down we noticed a bit of commotion behind us and all of a sudden we could see a familiar face with a navy blue baseball cap with a gold M on it and he wearing a blue jacket. The man in the blue jacket and baseball cap who sat down next to my husband happen to be Bo Schembechler and a friend of his. The two tickets next to Bo we purchased, had been turned back in to Will Call by one of Bo’s good friends who was out of town. Bo introduced himself to my husband and they sat next to one another the entire game, Bo, his friend and Brad talked sports, they shared popcorn and I let each one of the kids come trade seats with me so that each one of them got chance to sit with the guys. We got in the car afterwards, and the Hubby looked at me and said something like, “I didn’t think you could top last year‘s surprise birthday trip, but you did.” Almost 20 years later and we still talk about that special birthday. Some may call it a coincidence some might call it a “God Wink” but whatever it was, there was something special about it. I was one of those ‘Sparkle’ Moments in our life.
There are those things in life that happen maybe it’s a chance meeting that never would have happened or something totally unexpected happening in your life that changes the course of your future, but there are some things that happened that are almost just magic. Sometimes we only think it happens in the movies and that those experiences just aren’t real. My experience in life over all these years is that there is magic that happens all around us IF your eyes are open to it. I don’t think they are coincidences, I think things happen for a reason. Take for example the situation with Bo. My husband grew up going to Michigan football game since he was about five or six years old. Bo was his role model as a coach and when he when he coached our kids playing basketball or tennis he used a lot of those principles like “the team the team the team” and “those who stay will be champions.” Bo passed away less than a year after that incident. Brad and the kids still talk about that chance meeting.
When you go through life with your nose to the grind stone day in and day out, week after week, month after month, year after year, you can lose your sparkle or that ability to see a sparkle in your life. It’s not something you can buy at the mall or order on Amazon. Sparkle is something you have within you in your heart and in your mind. And when you do, you’re open to it. I have seen it both in the movies and in life. I see it in the lives of my children, my family and my chief friends they all have things that have happened in their lives that could be called a coincidence, however, because they were open to seeing them as sparkle, they were special moments or ‘God Winks.’
These special sparkle moments happen all the time, all year round. However, sometimes, during the Holidays, they seem even brighter. Think of all the special Christmas movies. Interestingly, we think of sparkle and bright during this season of the Celebration of Lights during Hanukkah and the sparkle of the star seen in the sky by the wise men to guide them to the stable of the Christ child on that first Christmas Christians celebrate. Sparkle is a good thing.
It is very easy to get caught up in the negativity in the news of the day, the tragedies and the depressing stories. Remember this time of year a couple of years ago, when someone set a large Christmas Tree on fire in the middle of New York City. The company that put up that tree, FOX NEWS, didn’t let the negativity of that incident dim their sparkle. In almost 24 hours, another tree was erected. ‘Negative Nellies’, bad news, and ‘Debbie Downers’ can do that to us in life. Bad diagnosis, tragedies, Scrooge’s and Grinches can attempt to bring us down and dim OUR Sparkle. When you have a true sparkle in your heart, you know your priorities are in order and your Faith is strong, nothing can stop you from sparkling. When you Sparkle, everything around shines with more brilliance. There is so much significance to sparkle during the Christmas and Chanukah season. Think of the sparkling lights we place on a tree and outside of our houses. Think of the candles on the menorah or the candles some people place in their windows, the sparkle of tinsel, all in the name of this time of year. At times, maybe a little much, but think of the effort people go to, to celebrate and the Reason for the Season. The world sort of stops to acknowledge it.
I don’t think it’s good to not to be aware of what’s going in the world, it’s reality. However, you have to keep your radar up and eyes open for those Sparkle moments that happen right in front of us and when you do, who knows just what kind of magic may happen to you…It’s a Great Day ✨
✨Check out my website for information on my book, It’s a Great Day To…Gather Around a Table.
