As I have walked with individuals and families along the journey of grief, one of the reflections I’ve heard again and again is their surprise that the day after a loss or tragedy, the light still comes in the morning. As we were walking yesterday, I felt the same surprise. How could the day look so beautiful in the light of such awful events the day before? How could we still be doing the same thing that we do at this time every morning? Shouldn’t there be a complete change?
Even as the surprise that the light still comes meets people at the beginning of their journey of grief, I’ve heard again and again that it is this coming light that sustains them and helps them get through the day. Knowing that the light still comes in the morning guides them and comforts them throughout the long days of grief. I found myself looking for the light throughout the day yesterday, too. I took note as it made its journey across the sky and as it faded and the light of the night moved in.
The light still comes. The light still overpowers darkness. The light reveals and unveils all that simmers beneath the surface of our own lives and indeed of our life as a people together in this country.
Blessed light, keep shining.