We Can All Be a Candle in the Darkness

Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis

We are experiencing a very dark time in our history. Everyone I talk to says the same thing: “I’ve never seen anything like this!” It seems that each day, the news gets worse. Our everyday lives are on hold. Every decision we make is directly related to our health and safety. It’s hard to believe that going grocery shopping is a health risk! There is so much fear, anxiety, pain, worry, and sorrow. If we’re not careful, we become completely self-absorbed. It indeed is a dark time. A very wise mentor, Saul Kup, reminded me that darkness is the only space for light to manifest.

If you light a candle in the sunlight, you can barely see the flame. If you light a candle in the basement, it will illuminate the space and show you the way out. The darker the space, the greater the contrast. We are in a very dark place; what can we do to create the light? This is an incredible time for acts of kindness, goodness, and generosity. Although it should be our everyday lifestyle, the world is in dire need of seeing the light. We may ask, “What can I do when I’m stuck at home?”

It is the time for creative caring. How can you show others you care? Writing notes and letters to your family, especially if they are older, would make them feel loved and appreciated. You can check in on friends and neighbors for an uplifting phone conversation (please don’t go on and on about how bad things are). What do you have that you can share: food, money, toilet paper? Drop off a care package. If you are out, be sure and smile at people and wish them well (you can do that while social distancing). Our creator said, “Let there be light.” I think that is all of us. Be a candle today.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. – Martin Luther King Jr