Light

 

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. 

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jan. 15, 1929  --  April 4, 1968

It was truly thrilling this morning to walk outside around 4:45 a.m. and see four of my eight solar-powered colored bulbs still lit up, changing from green to read to blue to yellow---not necessarily in that order.

I walked over to them, admired them for a moment and smiled on my way back to the house.

Longer days and yesterday's wonderful sunlight powered up those ornamental bulbs to stay lit through the night longer than ever since December when I first planted them in a flower bed surrounded by poplar trees.

The lights are so beautiful and equally magical. I look forward to placing them along the deck this summer.

Should add a a pretty sight in the night. 

Light does tend to make us happier.  

In fact, I'm sure that when electricity returns to the homes of thousands who lost it during the wind storm, the light will be most welcome.

Yesterday's brilliant sunshine, along with the promise that the dark days of the Pandemic could be on a downward spiral with increased vaccinations, generated a different sense of excitement in my mind. 

I also enjoyed some happy moments, walking in that sunshine with my sisters. 

It was a short trek in between HWY 95 and a railroad side road.

 Nonetheless, the experience of soaking up afternoon sunshine, exercising and enjoying uninterrupted conversation with my sisters, 'cept for maybe some highway noise, provided a perfect tonic for the three of us. 

Getting out of the house, breathing fresh but comfortable winter air and feeling total safety in our outdoor togetherness was something special. 

Oh, we've done such things before, but in this year of 2021, what once seemed like a little thing was big yesterday. 

I think Barbara and Laurie enjoyed our short outing as much as I did. 

The light is slowly driving out the darkness in our world in a variety of ways.  We welcome it. 

Plus, we probably would never say so, cuz a lot of times family members don't do that, but our love for each other as family members could possibly be more obvious than ever.  

It could also be that we might even appreciate one another more than ever before in our lives. 

I look forward to the same experiences with my other siblings and family members as we move forward into the oncoming light of each day and our world in general. 

Today marks the actual birthday of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. 

 Let's hope his words in that wise quote above, most likely uttered during the turbulent '60s, will serve as a guiding reminder of a reasonable and productive way to conduct one's life. 

If across this country, we could each devote some time to thinking about King's words and maybe even try to put them into action, the effort could mount up.

Then----maybe just maybe----the turbulence and disturbing, unproductive vitriol we are now witnessing in our country will diminish enough for us to see a flicker of light toward a brighter path back to the beautiful America we all love. 

Happy Friday.  

It's the little things . . . . that often  make the most difference.

Bring on some light from within.