I still remember the moment I took this old, faded picture with my Kodak camera when I was about 12 years old. I had gone outside for a walk just as a thunderstorm was ending at the end of a hot summer day. My eyes were drawn to the sky overhead and I felt a strong sense of wonder at the sunlight breaking through the clouds. There was something powerful and comforting about the brilliant rays emerging from the surrounding darkness. This made me pause, right in the middle of an open field, and notice not only the sky but the warm humid moisture still in the air and on my skin, the gentle rhythmic sound of cicadas in the nearby woods, and the damp smell of the path and plants under my feet. This kind of intense experience and the feelings of hopefulness and connection with the natural world around and above me have remained imprinted on my mind and in my memory. They are gifts of grace and gladness that are lasting a lifetime.
Almost functioning as a kind of visual talisman, this beloved and unremarkable old picture has traveled many miles with me. It has been thumb-tacked to dorm room bulletin boards, taped to apartment mirrors, and put to rest in a treasured journal. Going through a recent purge of old belongings, I came across this picture again. When I look at the image, I can imagine myself back in that original place where time seemed to stand still and where I learned there is always light in the darkness of nature’s seasons. Growing older with life experiences, I now know light can be found even in the darkest seasons of my life and in the lives of my loved ones. There are occasions when we’re not protected from the storms and darkness. But we’re never alone, and light, however minimal or dim, is present with us.
Where have you been surprised by light? In nature? In darkness? In a loved one?
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