One-Liner Wednesday: Light in the Darkness

I will not allow my life’s light to be determined by the darkness around me.”

– Sojourner Truth

 

 

Declare independence from darkness.

Let your light shine regardless,

A beacon beyond  madness.

 

We the people far from helpless

Surely find the truth in goodness.

Light the way for peace and kindness.

                                                                                  JM

 

 

One-liner Wednesday is brought to you by Linda G. Hill.

For more information, visit:

https://lindaghill.com/2018/07/04/one-liner-wednesday-on-a-personal-note/

#1linerWeds guidelines:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our lovely new badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Bloom Where You’re Planted

Yesterday, I discovered this Crepe Myrtle growing out of a storm drain near a busy intersection

 

Photo by JoAnne Silvia

Not just growing, but blooming.

Never give up hope.

Keep reaching for the light.

A Boomer’s Thoughts on Star Wars VII

Power in the Darkness

So many possibilities for Linda’s Stream of Consciousness prompt: “light.”

I wrote about moonlight recently. Light can be symbolic for goodness. Light is good. But it doesn’t always have to come from electricity. And power is more than electricity. That’s been a topic of mine in the past, but with hurricane season here again, it bears repeating.

Why do people keep saying “power” when they mean electricity? Do we really want to give our dependence on electricity so much power?

When the lights go out due to a storm, we have lost electricity.

We still have power, even when we don’t have electricity.

I know electricity can be a life or death matter for some people, and I wish them their and their loved ones abundant power and life sustaining support if the electricity goes out.

But most of us can get by without electricity.

What did people do before electricity?

They sat around a fire and told stories.

They read by candle light.

They played guitars and drums and sang songs.

We still have the power to pray and laugh and sing and love one another.

So when the lights go out, we may have lost electricity, but we still have power!

I’ve got my candles ready!

 

 

If you’d like to jump into the refreshing Stream of Consciousness Saturday post, visit:

http://lindaghill.com/2015/09/04/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-515/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

Miracle Flower

Flower Growing From My Church Wall, by JoAnne Silvia

 

The wind must have blown fiercely

to lodge the seed between the bricks,

in just the right place where it would not be washed away.

The seed waited for moisture, to release  its life force.

It welcomed the rain flowing down through the channels

and pushed roots into the gritty mortar,

searching for  nourishment

to build the long, bare stem,

reaching up and out with all its strength

to the light,

letting the rain run down its stem

back to the roots.

The single yellow flower at the end of the long stalk

bloomed where it was planted,

living life to the fullest,

a beacon of hope.

 

Let the Light Shine Through

This morning at church we celebrated All Saints Sunday by lighting candles in memory of saints and loved ones who have passed away.

In his sermon, Father Banks told us a story of many years ago when people were being confirmed as members of the Episcopal church and were asked questions by the visiting bishop. All those being confirmed sat in the front pew and answered the questions correctly until the last young man. The bishop asked him: “What is a saint?” There was only silence as the young man looked around nervously. He didn’t remember learning this in catechism. Then he looked at the stained glass window behind the bishop depicting Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The young man grinned and pointed over the bishop’s head to the window. Those are saints up there, right behind you! The saints are the ones who let the light shine through!

Father Banks reminded us that saints are ordinary people who have an extraordinary relationship with God. Ordinary people who are not perfect, who make mistakes, but they let the light shine through.

When it was my turn to light a candle, I lit one in memory of my sister who died in a car accident in 1975.  My sister was on her way to celebrate her 16th birthday with her boyfriend. They were both killed by a drunk driver on their way to the restaurant.

We were just starting to get over our sibling rivalry. My sister and I were polar opposites in many ways.

 She was outgoing and rebellious. (I rebelled later.) She skipped school a lot, pan-handled to buy cigarettes, and who knows what else, and she even ran away from home a couple of times.

This same sister also loved animals and volunteered at a small group home for handicapped children. She loved to take care of the Carobel kids, especially the bedridden boy who’s huge hydro-cephalic head had to be turned often. Until today, I had not thought of my sister as a saint, but she was. She was not perfect, but she let the light of God shine through her, if only for a short time.

A lovely beam of light shines through the big stained glass window at the back of  our  church.  I didn’t realize, until today, that this light beam is only visible because it comes through a broken place in the window.

We are flawed. We make mistakes. But we can still let the light shine through. We let the light shine into our hearts. We are blessed that way.