The Light in the Darkness

Over the past few weeks, I have been pondering the light in darkness. With the usual events of Hanukkah and Christmas, as well as the addition of the Christmas Star visible for the first time in 800 years on Winter Solstice, my mind looks at the symbolism of these events and how they bring light to the darkness. As we descend on the close of this year; a strange, odd, difficult year, we literally are in the darkest and shortest days of the year. This past year has been a year, which many have seen as a year full of shadows and murky waters we had never waded through before. It has been a challenge, for families, for friends, for businesses, for children, our communities, our medical workers and first responders and much more! There has been much pain, sorrow, struggle and loss. But with a culmination of events, some ancient rituals, an astrological alignment and our personal hearts lifted with the joys and challenges of this odd season, it is all the more reason to look for the light and hope that can shine in our lives at this time.

I personally was one of those incredibly excited people who could not wait to see the Christmas Star. The alignment of Jupiter and Saturn in just the right way, to create a huge, magnificent star, which some believe is the actual star that the Wisemen followed on their journey to find baby Jesus., that in and of its self is exciting. But, to me, it was especially magical to have this massive event happen on Winter Solstice, shining a great light on the world, on the darkest day of the darkest year.

A few weeks ago, at the beginning of December, as everyone started making their end of the year lists and declaring 2021, THE year, I found myself feeling very superstitious! Perhaps its my Boston roots... growing up a Red Sox fan, I know we have our superstitions- wear the shirt on the day, don't leave the room if so & so is pitching, If they lost when Auntie was in the room, well then, she can not be in the room on the next game day (or for the rest of the season!!!), Reverse the Curse and all...86 years of suffering definitely plants its seed in the psyche. So earlier this month, I felt like no one should declare 2021 to be anything!!!! Lets just creep into the year, with no-one looking or noticing... and maybe it will be good, maybe it will be bad... but lets not declare anything... and planners, who the Hell is gonna buy a planner this year? I mean if I learned anything from 2020, its that my fancy planner was the dumbest investment I made!!! This is not to say, I am not aiming for good things to happen in 2021, and setting myself up to grow and thrive in the New Year. I just wasn't ready to risk saying it out loud. It seemed much too soon. We had some positive shifts happening, but we were also facing some new challenges and to me all I could see was the potential upcoming darkness.

With the close of this challenging year now days away, my mindset has shifted. After lighting the candles of the advent wreath each week and finally filling the room with its light. Meditating in glow of my magnificent Christmas tree. Shivering in the dark to gaze at the stars and moon. Walking in the dark on a snowy evening with my best friend, enjoying the beauty and traditions of Christmas's past by candlelight. And holding my son in the church on Christmas Eve listening to the readings and meanings of Christmas, I realized all the holidays of this season are about finding the light in the darkness, and bringing mankind some form of hope. This year of all years, there is a reason the stars aligned to shine on the world on the darkest day of the year. There is a reason to celebrate and find hope. For no matter how challenging your 2020 has been, no matter the depth of your darkness, there is always a light, and a hope and you just need to believe in it. You just need to let it shine.

So on these last days of 2020, it is hard not to reflect on this year as we have always reflected on a year at its close. I do not ask that we forget the suffering and shadows that have fallen on many this past year, but look for the light in your life, and be filled with gratitude for it. Is it a neighbor who showed they cared in your time of need, a friend that sent a care package when your spirits were at their lowest, or perhaps it was that your world slowed down so you could appreciate the beauty and simplicity of life. I know for me, I have always know my priorities, but this year highlighted what matters most, and I have shifted some hopes and dreams to fit around my priorities. I honestly am grateful for the blessings I received in this strange year. I was furloughed and released from a job that no longer made me happy and was given the opportunity to return to my passion of educating and caring for peoples skin health and wellness. I was handed the opportunity to homeschool my son, and get to watch him flourish, and I have found my family unit has created a very tight and strong bond, as we have faced fears and challenges of this past year together. I pray we can find strength to continue to grow in these ways in the New Year. I hope that we all can find some light shining in our world to guide us into the New Year, for even with the uncertainty of the world, there is always a light and hope to guide us. We just have to believe!

So my wish to you, is that you will slow down. Go to nature. Listen to the wind, see the stars and moon shine their bright lights on you. Take a deep breath. Slow your heart, let your fears and worries out- scream into the wind, cry to the moon, or just let the cold winter ocean waves wash over your feet, grounding you to earth and washing your worries away. Being one with nature helps heal the soul and allows us to find our natural light. In a quiet moment alone, go into your heart and let your soul speak to you. Find your inner light and let it shine. Let that light glow bright, fill your heart. take a deep breath and let the light fill your body and eventually let that light shine beyond you, let it touch the outer energy fields of your body and potentially shine onto others. Become a beacon of light and hope. We all have this in us. We are all the light in the darkness. We are the Hope! We have to believe in ourselves and in each other. If we can do that, especially in the darkness that is still to come and enwrap itself around us, we will find a way beyond the dark and into a new world. We will emerge stronger and brighter, because we will have our community of lights shining together. No longer a solo beacon of hope but like a Christmas Star, a combination of a few mighty lights to flood the world with new light and hope.

If 2020 has taught me anything, it is that the world can appear to be crumbling around you, democracy falling, freedoms erased, racism and prejudice raging, and a global pandemic spreading fear and sadness, but our voices, our light, our prayers, our love, our concern for one another and our families matter! If we let our lights shine, we can change what is happening. We can change our world. We are all sick of the "new normal" but there are also many who fear the return of the fast paced, business and materialistic driven world we departed in March. We have found blessings in the shifts we made. We have found ways to evolve and change our lives, and still thrive. We just need to continue to shine our light, live from our heart charka and be a beacon on our world, on our community and in our families. The world is shifting and growing and we can either create the world we desire with our light, or let the darkness create our world. It is for you to decide: be the maker or be placed in a box . I pray you decide to be a beacon of light.

From My Family to Yours: