Magic Hour

Stephen loved to turn any time into a celebration. He could use almost any excuse to turn an ordinary morning, afternoon or evening into a space full of laughs and smiles. And, after we moved to Mueller, it didn’t take long for Stephen to figure out a way to do that during the afternoon during some parts of the year.

You see, Stephen loved a disco ball that we had obtained from a leftover party years back. When we lived in Tarrytown, he used to put it out every once in a while and turn it on and it would spin. Sometimes we would just turn it on during a dinner party. Other times, we would turn it on late at night while we were partying and dancing naked with each other. The disco ball was a fixture in our lives from the moment it entered and remains in my condo even now.

After we moved to Mueller and Stephen had unpacked the disco ball, Stephen figured out that during a certain time of the day and in certain locations in the living room, the disco ball would create some pretty amazing light shows from the reflection of the sun on the mirrors. It usually lasted only about an hour because the sun would move past the windows and no longer cast the right light to make it happen. It really was a cool display and we could do it every day and Stephen would make it a point to try and cheer me up after a shitty day at work by turning it on. He called this time “Magic Hour”.

There were lots of hugs and loving on each other during these times. They were family time. Our time. And, when I tried to work during it, he would pull me out of my chair and demand that we dance with each other and act like a family. Sometimes I would argue with him ‘cause I needed to get something done. But, Stephen always insisted that I do it anyway. It was entirely Stephen and one of the purest examples of what Stephen really was. Beautiful. Simple. Wonderful. Committed.

Now, as I look back on it, the 22 years I spent with Stephen was one big Magic Hour. Stephen simply made life beautiful. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t all that fancy. But, it was amazing. It was full of smiles and love. My husband always found ways to make life better. Stephen’s magic will always be in my heart and in my home (just like that disco ball).

I love you, Boo.