A Season of Lights, Within Darkness

‘Tis a season of lights –  Christmas lights, Chanukah lights of the menorah.  Beautiful lights all around.  And yet we’re acutely aware of all the darkness going on around us and the world at large.  Sometimes it seems so hard to take pleasure in this supposedly joyful season while we compassionately feel for the tragedies that are beseiging humankind.

It’s a challenge to feel and revel in the warmth of the light while at the same time remain connected to the pain and suffering that seems so prominent lately.  We certainly don’t want to become apathetic and dismissive and wear blinders just so we can maintain our illusionary bubble of safety.  Nor do we want to live in that hopeless, pessimistic place only seeing the bad around us.

How do we hold the two together, light and darkness, side by side?

By bringing forth our light!  By each one of us exuding our goodness and caring.  And by paying attention, being involved, and giving of ourselves to those in pain.

Sometimes we may feel like we have to dig deep inside ourselves to bring forth our own light.  We all have the capacity and potential to create light.  Believing that helps us access it within ourselves and not succumb to helplessness and despair.

When the darkness comes, that’s exactly the time to go inward and get to our source of light so that we may expose its rays upon others.

We don’t ignore or dismiss the bad by pointing out the good.  We acknowledge it, feel it, be in service of it and then seek out the good.    And there is plenty all around us; we have to simply notice it and shine a light on it so that it gets highlighted.

To the families and friends of  horrific tragedy, it’s all bad, until the smallest rays of light begin to part the darkest of clouds.  Until grief starts very slowly to lift its head.

To those of us not personally touched but humanly effected, we must be the bearers of the torches and hone in and magnify each of our own light and goodness.

If we sing, sing aloud; if we dance, dance as our body feels the music; if we paint, paint with our own canvas of life.  For what we feel and do passionately will be felt and taken in by others.  There is a universality to humankind.  What speaks to one will be known and understood by another.   Our gifts, talents and strengths are the beauty and inspiration in the world.  Bring them out.  Each of us can create more light.

May the beautiful lights of this holiday season light us all up from within so that each of us may bring forth our inspirational light and Light up the World with all our vibrant colors.

 

I wish you all Health, Peace, Meaning and Joy.  Here’s to become your fullest and most authentic self so that you can create your best life yet.