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Trailing Glory

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July 4th is still a week away, but we’re already anticipating sparklers, poppers, and assorted other low-power pyrotechnics at our house. My husband is the pyro master (his mother would tell you she saw that coming from a young age!), and is training the girls in the art of proper (and safe!) fireworks displays.July 4 Text

As I was looking back through pictures from previous years’ July 4th celebrations, I saw this one, and it reminded me of this wonderful quote that I recently discovered through my friend Bill Butler’s Maya Angelou Tribute.

“I believe that each of us comes from the Creator, trailing wisps of glory.” – Dr. Maya Angelou

Poets such as Angelou and Wordsworth have said it much better than I ever could, and I can’t help but agree with them.

There is something profoundly worth thinking about in this quote. We don’t just show up on this earth by chance – we come from somewhere. From Someone. And we don’t just show up all covered in goop and the stench of a broken world, but we arrive still trailing the glory of our Creator behind us.

Is this why all babies are beautiful? Why children have a certain light in their eyes? Maybe that spark is short lived in some people, due to circumstances and life getting in the way. But with each sunrise or sunset, with each rainbow after a storm, each hug from a friend, we sense that connection. That trail of glory, leading back to our Creator.

This, as I’ve said before, is why we respond to beauty and seek it out. We came from something more, and we were created for something more.

So go out and grab some sparklers this week. Light ’em up, and as you’re staring into the mesmerizing swirl of light, think about this. You cannot just look at a spark. Your eye is inevitably drawn back to the source. As beautiful as it is, no spark can exist on its own for more than a second or two, so our eyes seek the fire, not just the spark. And that is a good way to live our lives.

Happy July 4th, everybody! Be safe with those fireworks, and go look for some beauty. I promise it’s there.

Comments

  1. Hi Meredith, as you know, up here in Canada we celebrate Canada Day July 1st and like July 4th it also rejoices in the birth of a nation and the opportunity for each to let their light shine. Let me add my good wishes to all North Americans celebrating freedom and the choices we have for individual expression, while congratulating you on the sparkle to be found in your posts.

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  2. Hello Meredith, there is nothing like getting that spark back as an adult. Life is too short to live without that “sparkle” in your eyes. Have a happy and safe 4th of July

    Jay

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  3. Hi Meredith,
    I am very much imbued with Maya Angelou’s quote. Speaking of trailing glory, I think it needs to be reflected in how we live now so that it can also be reflected in the legacy we leave, as Maya Angelou did.

    I agree with your perspective. We all need beauty, goodness and truth in our lives.

    It reminds me of the story of how we got a fulcrum; the indentation beneath our nose.
    According to the story, the Creator gives all beings what we need for life. So, at the moment of our birth, angels are assigned to accompany us on our journey through this life. This begins with the one that presses ever so lightly on our lips, and whispers…
    “Shhh… don’t tell all you know.”

    Have an enjoyable time of family celebration.

    Kind Regards,
    Bill

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    • Thanks Bill. You’re right. How we live now is what makes up our legacy. And I like that story! Thanks for inspiring this piece with your Maya Angelou quotes.

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  5. Meredith, not one of your usual posts but definitely one I loved. Reminds me of the song “This little light of mine”. Have a wonderful and safe July 4th and keep those sparklers twirling.
    Lenie

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  6. One doesn’t have to save sparklers for the 4th of July. I put them on birthday cakes on my families birthday cake. I have always been fascinated with them. I also have two pyros in my family, my husband and my daughter. For father’s day my husband started the fire pit with a blow torch.

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    • That’s a great point Arleen, I may have to try that, especially since my hubby’s next birthday is one of the big ones. He’d appreciate the sparklers on the cake.

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  7. Meredith, thanks for sharing that quote. Maya always had such profound thoughts…This article is such a good reminder that there is something more to us than than which we see. The limited perspective that we typically exist in…thanks for reminding me to remember that we are all something more. And that we come from something greater. Have a beautiful day!

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    • Thanks Michele! That’s a great point about our limited perspective. We all need a little reminder sometimes that there’s something more to this life than we can see.

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  8. So glad you didn’t share a July 4th project that I would not be able to create! heehee. Seriously, I loved this. I was just having a conversation last week with a friend about our Higher Power and how we all came to be. There is something magical about life and you captured it well with Ms. Angelou’s quote and your darling picture. Happy 4th!

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    • Yay Laurie, I’m so glad! Thanks for hanging in there with me, even through all my crafts and DIY projects! 🙂

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  9. Ok…so I’m the one who is going to admit that this post made me weepy. With joy, Meredith:) The spark is indeed a beautiful think and I think we all possess one or more. By far my favorite quote this week is from you ” We don’t just show up on this earth by chance – we come from somewhere. From Someone. And we don’t just show up all covered in goop and the stench of a broken world, but we arrive still trailing the glory of our Creator behind us.” Thanks for that 🙂

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  11. A really sweet post Meredith and a great photo of your daughter with a face of joy and a handful of sparks. Happy 4th to you et al.

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  13. Happy 4th of July Meredith. Life without a spark is life without a roar, for just as a car engine is turned to motion from a spark that lights up fuel and turns pistons, so are our lives.

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  15. Have you ever read the book titled,The Celestine Prophecy? Your post reminded me of it: we actually choose our parents is one of it’s messages. What a great message in this post! Thanks.

    Over from LinkedIn group, BHB

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    • Ha! I guess that’s the good thing about the desert – no forest to burn down! Sounds like you have some happy July 4th memories too. Have a good one!

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  17. There is beauty all around us and it’s up to us to find it. Even wild flowers and weeds can be beautiful. I love fireworks and did experience the 4th July fireworks one year when I visited Florida. Happy 4th of July to you.

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    • So true, Mina. I love wildflowers and weeds (as long as I’m not the one pulling them)! There really is something beautiful in most things, if you’re looking for it. Thank you.

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    • Thanks Susan. That’s a great way of putting it. I think fireworks are a great metaphor for potential. They don’t look like much, until you apply the flame. Then they light up the whole sky!

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  21. Meredith, wishing you all the best on your 4th of July. I think nationhood is worth celebrating. It reflects our investment in our fellow citizens and our way of life. Have fun!

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  23. July 4th is tomorrow, and we just confirmed that we’re are BBQing! To me the most beautiful things are found in nature. And even though the sparkly fireworks are nice and attention grabbing. Thunder and Lightning is the real source of beauty for me. I can’t keep my eyes off a lightning storm!

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  24. Your daughter is beautiful Meredith! You’re right, children have a particular light in their eyes.. Happy 4th July to you and all your family 🙂

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  26. I love fireworks! I am in gulf shores Alabama right now and they had local fireworks going off last night. It was great because I could see them right in fRont of my balcony.
    I hope you have a happy fourth of July! 🙂

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  28. We have some sparklers that we still need to do! Thanks for linking up at the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned it to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board.

    Reply

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