Seeing in the Dark

                                                                                                                                                                                          thanks to Susie for this picture
'Twas in the moon of wintertime, when all the birds had fled,
that mighty Gitchi Manittou sent angel choirs instead;
before their light the stars grew dim, and wondering hunters heard the hymn...
                                    ~ Jean de Brebeuf

     On this Full Moon night, we can see in the dark. Every 29 days we are reminded of this truth that can't be true. Every 29 days we  are reminded to see past what doesn't seem possible. On this night nature shows us again that light is always greater than darkness – and that the darkness cannot, will not ever keep it out.
     
      Through these past December days, we have journeyed – left foot, right foot toward Bethlehem. Along the way we have lost something, and found something new. Along the way we have grown weary, and somehow found a way to continue. Along the way we have reconnected with stories and songs that again inspire us. Each of us brings her own prayers for what can be next. Each brings his own hopes for what is not yet.
     
         My sisters and I spent our summers at Girl Scout camp in Indiana. All summer long we would spend our days singing and swimming and building and believing that everything is possible. And at night one of my favorite things would be to walk from one unit to the next in the dark. There was a gravel road between the Pirate and the Ranger unit, and then continuing on the gravel road to the Pioneer unit. What I loved was to turn off my flashlight and try to make my way in the dark. Those night journeys taught me some pretty important lessons. Some of these life-lessons were: darkness doesn’t keep us from going from one place to another, a second -that where we are going is so often where we believe it will be, and a third - that when walking in the dark, if you look up you can follow the road you are traveling by watching the openings in the trees. Still true. Still leading me on now.

​     These can be such overwhelming days. The world can feel out of balance. How comforting and consoling it is to remember that we can see even in the dark. We are making our way through these winter days being guided all along the way. 

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