Circle of Light

This is my circle of light. A tradition of sorts my mother started with my family. It began with her putting into a collage the things she wanted to bring into her life within the coming year. Not resolutions so much as more of a symbol of her desires for herself-some material, but mostly spiritual growth. She passed down this lesson in asking of ourselves our desires and dreams and so began our tradition of New Year's Eve Circle of Lights. Even as we grew into teenagers, anticipation fluttering around in our bellies to be with our friends on New Year's, we sat down together- most likely in our own little circle- my Mom on the couch and us girls on the floor, my Dad watching, my mom reminding my Dad and brother to get started on theirs. Piles of magazines, scissors, poster board, glue sticks, pens and crayons surrounding us, we cut and pasted, not fully aware of what we were compiling, but rather allowing our subconscious guide our hands. We cut out words with self-meaning, pictures that provoked our imaginations, and many times wrote in our own aspirations with crayons or paint. When we were done we passed each collage around smiling at how important and true what we had put down was to the other.

We are now grown with families of our own, and still each New Year's we sit and collage, in our own homes, maybe at different times, but the connection remains when we walk into each other's homes and see it centerpiece on the refrigerator.

This circle of light is attached to the side of my refrigerator by a magnet . I forget it is there the majority of the time. Similar to a painting you may hang on a wall, sometimes glancing at it, realizing the beauty in that it is "you", often questioning why you like it, or seeing how it fits your style and the makeup of who you are. I silently recognize it in passing, reminding myself of its purpose.

As each year comes to an end and the poster board, scissors, glue sticks and crayons sprawl across the table from the stacks of saved magazines waiting to be "recycled", I take down last year's Circle of Light and smile at the things that played out in my life within the past year. Some had major impact, some ongoing, and some to add again, but all inspiring and true to who I am. These are some of my wishes, my dreams, my true to being. I thought I would take them from behind the magnet and put them out there in a different way. They are random, spur of the moment cuts and pastes, but images and words that resonate with me. My mother first taught me this full-circle lesson of seeking my wildest dreams, morals and creativity by giving it over to faith.

I know it has been a couple of months since New Year's, but I glanced at my Circle of Light today in passing and thought it needed a new view .