Sparkle Back

"Hey remember that time we really did lose our sparkle?"  

"Yes.  Yes we really did."

"Here's to that never happening again."  

And then we had a mild celebration, right there in the middle of that downtown shop while perusing jewelry on a vacation Thursday morning after drinking too much coffee.  It went along the lines of an arm throw in the air and an outburst of some sort of yell and whoop combination.

To which the store owner said, "I'm not sure I could even imagine you two not having some sparkle."  

But it did happen, Karen and I both lost our sparkle.  For very different reasons but oddly enough, in the same time frame.  Oddly enough times two, we happened to be working at the same school a few days a week back then as well.  

So we would have lunch together in her room, with the door shut, and not all the time but more than I want to think back on, we would have tears fall while we ate.  The sparkle was gone.  That's what happens when life gets a tiny bit confused about playing fair and nice or when you make decisions which don't align with your core.   

We would say the things to each other that a best friend should say when the other best friend is hurting.  But it took the best healer of all to bring the sparkle back out, time.  Time is our other best friend.  Time heals.

Because after some time, you find yourself being absolutely ridiculous again.  Sparkly and ridiculous and able to breathe in deeply gifts around you while you coffee it up on a morning you don't have school with Brittany and Karen.

 

Able to see the beauty of sun streaming in through glass. 

 

Able to watch two little sister girls scream and giggle and put on magic shows. 

 

Able to truly feel the blessing of having forever friends who love you and stand by you and see you through. 

 

Able to let tears fall down your cheeks...from laughing. 

And that's how you know.  You know it's back, and has been for quite some time.