Twinkle
ERYN ROUSH

“The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them.”                                                Annie Dillard

Sometimes I wonder if life was made for us, or if we were made for life.  It’s just that life can sometimes be so beautiful on its own.  I, on the other hand, tend to be careless and mess things up.  I tend to miss the most important seconds, moments, and seasons of life. 

When the holidays come around, people start bringing out twinkle lights.  They put them in wreaths, windows, and trees.  I think they are absolutely imperative to a truly magical Christmas.  This is why:

I have always wanted to be what I would call a “bright person.”  I am not talking about intelligence.  By bright, I mean shining, vivid, alive.  I want to be set into a usual place: an office, a room full of people.  Then, just like a twinkle light, I want to shine.  I am always tempted to reach out and touch a twinkle light, even if it is hot.  I reach toward its glow and hope to inherit its natural properties of illumination.  You see, if I were a light, not only would I illuminate myself, but I could illuminate the people I meet. 

Do you know that even if you aren’t present, your light reaches someone?  So many people have come into my life, and left without ever knowing what they showed me.  I have a collection of twinkle lights, tucked tightly into my memory, all very poignant, all unforgettable.  Life was made for us!  We should never walk through it blindly.  Even though life will go on, the bright lights that come into our lives cannot be enjoyed with our eyes closed.

The professor who taught me that writing is a journey: twinkle.  The lady at the gym who told me I was memorable: twinkle.  The smile on my nephew’s face when I blow a kiss on his belly: twinkle.  The boss who took a chance on a silly redhead: twinkle. 

My life and your life are saturated in opportunities to be and witness illumination.  This Christmas, let’s look for twinkle lights everywhere, not just in trees.  Let’s look in our offices, holiday parties, family gatherings, and children.  Remember, others need you to twinkle for them too!

“Seeing is of course very much a matter of verbalization.  Unless I call my attention to what passes before my eyes, I simply won’t see it.”

Annie Dillard


Please email eryn@accentgwinnett.com and let us know about the “twinkle lights” you come into contact with this holiday season.

Quotes from “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard