My grandmother always started the prayer before dinner with this:
“In the rush of a busy day, oh Lord, we pause to give you thanks…”

Ironically, I don’t remember the rest of the prayer. I’m sure the blessing involved gratitude for food and abundance. The specifics were important at the time, but they’ve faded, as too have our prayers at the dinner table.

Instead, I often find myself rushing, from here to there, from dream to dream. And I think of Grandma and how she could get us all to pause, just for a moment, before we ate.

As I was rushing from the office to do daycare pickup, I found myself stalled in a long line of traffic. Red break lights shone for miles ahead of me, as the construction for the new grocery store in town brought the three-lane road down to one.

While I waited, I turned my head to the left, noticing a small alterations studio alongside road. In the large picture window, lit up by bright fluorescent lights, a young bride was standing in her gown.

I couldn’t see her face, only the veil cascading down her back. I watched her lift on to her toes as the seamstress and friends held mounds of fabric. I watched her bounce in the light.

There’s a lot happening right now, much of it shocking and sad. I find myself rushing, away from headlines, and towards the different outcomes I hope we can create. But sometimes, the break lights are there for a reason.

In that picture window, someone was excited about the future she was hoping to create. She was surrounded by white, literally glowing. And she was moving towards a new chapter, hopefully eager and with joy.

We don’t have to be brides to understand the anticipation of change. And sometimes, we need help remembering what it feels like to be on our toes, bouncing towards what could be.

I want more of that energy in this season.

Less rushing, more light. More white.

Beautiful things.