Light in the Darkness
"Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." ~Chinese Proverb
It is the time of year when we have alot more darkness in our days than light. Florida isn't like Germany in many ways, but one of the most stark comparisons is the amount of sun we see here. Germany, Korea and even Kansas are typically grey and cold and void of sun in February and March. If you are prone to seasonal depression, those three locations are not the best places to live. The only benefit I could find when it got really tough was to remember that cold and grey make Easter even more amazing. After surviving cold and mostly dark months, the first peek of a flower out of the snow and the first beautiful sunrise that makes the day last longer are true gifts from Heaven.
The other thing I would do would be to burn a candle. The candle was my way of bringing the sun inside my home. Warm smells would waft through the house and the flicker of the flame would transport me to tropical weather. I continually remind military spouses that they too can have that type of effect for eachother. There are times when the darkness seems so overwhelming, especially when it is an emotional or spiritual darkness. We have the tendency to give this sort of darkness more clout than it really has and allow it to cripple us. I have seen even the strongest of military spouses fall into the darkness of depression during deployment. The amazing thing to learn, and it is best learned before darkness hits, is the power of the single light. Just like a small flicker of a candle, kind words, small things can banish darkness. Think of a pitch black room and imagine one candle light in it. That is all it takes to break the darkness. One small light, one small gesture or change in routine and you can break the darkness. The flip side is true as well, how much darkness must fall to banish the light? The light of day can be so bright that we need cover ourselves from it. Even at nighttime there are stars and the moon. Just like in nature, light is all around us we just need to know where to look.
Whichever flame you chose to burn today, a real candle or your proverbial light, let 'em shine.........
It is the time of year when we have alot more darkness in our days than light. Florida isn't like Germany in many ways, but one of the most stark comparisons is the amount of sun we see here. Germany, Korea and even Kansas are typically grey and cold and void of sun in February and March. If you are prone to seasonal depression, those three locations are not the best places to live. The only benefit I could find when it got really tough was to remember that cold and grey make Easter even more amazing. After surviving cold and mostly dark months, the first peek of a flower out of the snow and the first beautiful sunrise that makes the day last longer are true gifts from Heaven.
The other thing I would do would be to burn a candle. The candle was my way of bringing the sun inside my home. Warm smells would waft through the house and the flicker of the flame would transport me to tropical weather. I continually remind military spouses that they too can have that type of effect for eachother. There are times when the darkness seems so overwhelming, especially when it is an emotional or spiritual darkness. We have the tendency to give this sort of darkness more clout than it really has and allow it to cripple us. I have seen even the strongest of military spouses fall into the darkness of depression during deployment. The amazing thing to learn, and it is best learned before darkness hits, is the power of the single light. Just like a small flicker of a candle, kind words, small things can banish darkness. Think of a pitch black room and imagine one candle light in it. That is all it takes to break the darkness. One small light, one small gesture or change in routine and you can break the darkness. The flip side is true as well, how much darkness must fall to banish the light? The light of day can be so bright that we need cover ourselves from it. Even at nighttime there are stars and the moon. Just like in nature, light is all around us we just need to know where to look.
Whichever flame you chose to burn today, a real candle or your proverbial light, let 'em shine.........
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