Can finding contentment be so simple: find more light every day. Without light there is no life, at least not life as we know it. Light warms and energizes ourselves, our planet. If “to love” is to hold dear, to cherish, to nourish and care for, then perhaps light is the most primal manifestation of “loving” that we experience.
Our practice of mindfulness is quite simple, in a way. We learn to notice what is happening in this present moment, and we notice it openly, honestly, authentically, and, most important, without judgment. To be mindful is to be receptive. Looked at from a different perspective, to be mindful is to form the intention to love life as we experience it, moment to moment.
What could be simpler than to notice the light, both literally and figuratively, that surrounds us every day? And in doing so mindfully, we love the light in return; love after love.
Today’s meditation includes some brief quotes:
Excerpt from The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade.
We’ve braved the belly of the beast
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isn’t always just-ice
Excerpt from Lights in the Windows by Naomi Shihab Nye
Years ago a girl handed me a note as I was leaving her proud town of Albany, Texas, a tiny, lovely place far in the west of our big state.”I’m glad to know there is another poemist in the world,” the note said. “I always knew we would find one another someday and our lights would cross.”
Our lights would cross. That girl had not stood out to me, I realized, among the other upturned, interested faces in the classroom. How many other lights had I missed? I carried her smudged note for thousands of miles.
To me the world of poetry is a house with thousands of glittering windows. Our words and images, land to land, era to era, shed light on one another. Our words dissolve the shadows we imagine fall between.
Video of the guided meditation:
Audio of the guided meditation:
Peace!
Jim
James M. Walsh Pastoral Counseling 
2 replies on “Finding More Light”
This is so true Jim, with our current situation & life’s daily challenges, I can see how some (including myself) would fall into the darkness. I have learned, to seek out & cherish the light, which keeps my path with God lit, and brightens all things around me, so I may see with clarity, all the endless blessings, I cherish & I am so grateful for.
✨Peace ✨
Beautifully put, Mike. I couldn’t have said this better myself. Thank you for sharing your feelings and thoughts on this cold and wintry day!