People are like stained glass windows.....

I am feeling a bit reflective tonight. Maybe it is because I am stuck inside because of the nasty weather??? :-) But anyway, one of my favorite quotes is the following:

"People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within." -Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

I actually first read this quote a couple of years ago. It completely resonated with me as soon as I read it - I loved it!! It gave me goose bumps!! First, I completely liked the mental picture of people being like stained glass windows. I think that stained glass windows are beautiful.....and I think people are beautiful. :-) But I also think that our lives are like a stained glass windows, in that our lives are full of color and variety. Each person is special and we have had a myriad of experiences that make us unique. We are all made up of many complexities, they can be good and bad - but nonetheless "are". I think that these complexities and unique experiences are part of the "color" of our lives (the stained glass window). All of our strengths, our weaknesses, our happy times, our struggles.......they all represent different colors and are parts of who we are. We would not be "beautiful" without these. We need to embrace all that we are, and remind ourselves that we are beautiful and unique just the way we are. Of course.....we always (well at least I do) strive to improve upon our struggles or weaknesses, but I also think there is beauty in recognizing them and being "real" about them. Being "real" about WHO we REALLY are!!!

Which kind of leads into the second aspect of the quote. Of course, each one of us are beautiful....and our beauty is in our colorfulness or uniqueness (in my opinion). We often do sparkle when the good things about us are showing....when we are able to keep that smile on our face.....and continue to be a nice person......but as we all know, we cannot sparkle all of the time. There is going to be darkness, whether that be that others recognize an obvious weakness or struggle within us, or it could be something darker..... But I think that in recognizing, and of course, being authentic in the midst of that "darker" time, that is when we are really able to show our true beauty. The true beauty (part of the color) can be noticed when people are "real", when we show we have weaknesses, and when we show that we are not afraid to talk about them (part of the light from within). Or perhaps the true beauty is recognizable because we allow others to see us struggle with something, but they also see us learn in the midst of this struggle.......and in that journey the beauty is apparent. Or perhaps the beauty is noticeable once that person has come through that darkness............. Whew!! I get so excited about learning, growing, and becoming more self aware!! :-)

Even though I do think that people are like stained glass windows.....I wonder what that stained glass window looks like? Is it a stained glass window that is in progress....so maybe there are a few areas on that window that have not been painted....but will be at some point during this life journey?? Or is it a stained glass window that is completely painted......but through this life....some parts will turn into different colors as we evolve and change???? Regardless, what a beautiful thought!!!!

I hope that this particular blog makes sense. :-) It often makes sense in my head as I reflect......but I struggle to put it into words. I think that I am sometimes better as I reflect with others....and verbally discuss a topic (sorry about the grammatical errors in this one too!!!!).