“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
– Leonard Cohen
What a year. It had a lot of highs and lows, and it had a lot of loss. I personally have been traveling through that valley, and nearly everyone I know – personally and professionally – has been touched by it too. Maybe it’s my chronological age or the age of those who have crossed over, or the state of the world, or just the way things are, but this is a hard passage, and I want to acknowledge it for us all. I’ve wanted to touch on this since August, but things were too fresh and then more losses piled on top of it in the later months, and here I am.
I know many of you too are traveling this path, and I just want you to know you are not alone. I find myself feeling joined with others at a deep level due to these losses – we all love, and we all lose, and it gives rise to tenderness and compassion and a somber sense of unity. Maybe even a joyous sense of unity sometimes, because if you are reading this, you are alive and you have the opportunity to celebrate others who are alive in your lives right now, and remember those who are on the other side, and changes life has brought – and be a light.
And that – quite literally – is what you are. At home, with your families, at work, in your spiritual communities, your clubs, the gym. You touch people every day as you go through your days, and you invest your time, talent, skill, vision, creativity, knowledge, and care into beautifying people’s homes or bringing style and function to commercial settings. You are a light, and you can also be a light in the way you interact, how you speak, how you listen, how you work with the architect or homeowner or the general contractor or the technical rep or the builder to solve problems. I know there are those days when tenderness and understanding feels far away and frustrations pile up and you just want to GET DONE with that job already – but there’s always another chance, another day to invoke your inner light as you interact with your customers. Never underestimate that about yourself – let it shine.
And this is the season of light after all, of lights shining in hibernating darkness, in the midst of shorter days, in this time of rest – and the holiday celebrations that remind us that the light is there. That light joins us, and shines out through us and IS us. Let it radiate.
This month, take some time to read the educational and inspiring content in this issue. It is the last TileLetter issue in this small size – starting in January, we move to large format 8″ x 10″ size, so keep this one as a memento. But change can be good and we at TileLetter are convinced this change will be.
Poised on the precipice of the new year, consider how you want to radiate in 2024, make a plan, and put your foot on the path. And know that along the way, there will be those who will walk with you, support you, turn on their lights for you – and together we can light up the world.
God bless,
Lesley
Editorial Director and Senior Writer for TileLetter and TileLetter ARTISAN
Lesley Goddin has been writing and journaling since her first diary at age 11. Her journey has taken her through a career in publishing and publicity, landing her the editor position of TileLetter and its special publications in 2006. Her goal is to educate, inspire, recognize and encourage those in the tile industry -- especially the tile and stone contractor.
