SJT: Darkness and Light

I love this time of year when we look for light to pierce the darkness and bring hope to our troubled world. And this year seems fraught with so many troubles. There's something magnificent and holy about holiday lights, especially as we think of them heralding the birth of the Lord, the light of the world.

One of my favorite hymns is "The Lord is My Light." My children know it's supposed to be sung at my funeral. When I searched for an arrangement to share with you, I quickly learned of a different hymn from the one I know (with the same title). Here's an arrangement performed by selected Temple Square sister missionares at the 2020 virtual celebration for Light of the World. Each year our church features specific ways to help us #LighttheWorld. during the month of December. You can download a PDF of 50 Ways to Let Your Light Shine. Stick it on the fridge and let it prompt you to action.

Jone asked us to consider how we honor/embrace this time of darkness.  I often comment that once daylight savings time begins until Dec. 21 marks the time I spend crawling into the cave.  Once we have that shortest day of the year, I'm glad to begin crawling out of the cave. I'm not sure that I embrace the darkness. It's more a time of enduring for me, but the lights of the holiday season brighten those all too short days. And I'm happy to report that our days in NC are not as short as our days were in WA. 

Another question Jone posed, "Where do you find the points of light in your life?" set me thinking about specific points of light. They include community (family, church, friendships - including my virtual friends I've made through blogging and the Strive Hive, and my bookish connections to name just a few). We were fortunate to have a visit from our son this past week. There's nothing like having someone you love around for a few days to bring light into your life. I'm amazed at the friendliness I encounter in my new community, a definite bonus as I'm adjusting to our new home state.

Another point/source of light in my life is story. When I started thinking about this post, I searched for some quotes from a favorite book, The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo:

"The world is dark, and light is precious.” 

 

“He let the light from the upstairs world enter him and fill him. He gasped aloud with the wonder of it.”

“Why would you save me?
Because you, mouse, can tell Gregory a story. Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light."

 

And now, dear friends, I'm off to partake of the light from your stories and be inspired on my spiritual journey. Thanks for being part of my community and one of my points of light! 

Jone is hosting our gathering this month. Pop over to read posts

as fellow travelers share their spiritual journeys. We welcome all to join us.