This Little Light Of Mine

Light Up Your Life

Several spots scattered across the mainland can count on plenty of snow each winter. 

That's when all that build-up to Christmas and stockings and snowmen and family and friends and caroling and all the joys of the season leave in their wake inches and inches of ice crystals.

Drifts of snow so big you can’t see the sidewalk.

That is why I'm cheering you and me up, particularly if you inhabit one of those notoriously snowy regions, with thoughts of all that is bright and light all through this month.

January.

A month of new beginnings. 

Birth month of First Daughter. She whose name means light. 

This series, I hope, will bring you warmth as near as if the sun were shining in your hand. 

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There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle. - Robert Alden

This Little Light of Mine, a well-loved children's song, was a favorite in the Cherub Choir's repertoire.

I remember how the young singers that included First and Younger Daughters fervently intoned in a voice that exuded a sense of purity and sacredness, This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.

How the singing brightly built up.

Clearly.

Giving off a sense of optimism.

Lilting and cheerful, promising that this light would shine all the time.

Already, that was enough to distract me from all the darkness as the singing cherubs waved a pretend candlelight. In my mind, each small candle had just lit all corners of the impenetrable shadow of life.

And soon, the entire congregation was singing along. There was nothing like singing a song that people knew and were singing back to you.

Hide it under the bushel. No!

The notes may have faded, the song ended, but listening to that simple message, I thought, Maybe.

Possibilities scratched a thin silver trail across my heart. I hope. Everything seemed to be built upon these two words, these two fragile syllables like the cry of some forlorn bird.

I hope.

For this puny light to guide us through storms ahead.

For the undaunted flickering of a candle to help weather difficulties that life         sometimes puts in our path.

And throughout the months and years and mountains and dreams ahead, that we would hold our candle...

... and let it shine.