“Something opens our wings. Something makes boredom and hurt disappear. Someone fills the cup in front of us: We taste only sacredness.”

– Rumi

Last night was cloudy — the kind of night when people say there is not a star in the sky.  We know that is not true.  The stars are there, but the clouds stand between us and obscure them from view; but there are times when we find this hard to remember.  I had spent the evening with a young friend whose light is lost behind the clouds.  It still shines, but we can’t see it right now; and the people who love her are suffering with her as they await the return of the light.

It was one of those nights when a little starlight would have been welcome; but the sky offered only clouds.  I drove home in silence, offering prayers of healing for my beloved friend.

Today began as the night had ended — veiled in clouds that promise rain before the morning is through.  Everywhere I looked, I saw gray skies; and though I knew the sun still rose, I found myself struggling to imagine that it still existed beyond the haze.  I shortened my walk and returned to my morning work feeling burdened and alone.

As I gathered food to pack lunches, I saw a flash of light hit the kitchen window.  Leaving my coat behind, I grabbed my camera and let my anticipation lead the way to my back yard.

There it was, higher in the sky than an ordinary sunrise, but spectacular in its own right!  The sun — the Light — was reaching through the clouds.  It took my heart in its hands and brought warmth and comfort to my dismal morning.  ’YES!’ I thought; that is what we need to do for one another.  We cannot brush the clouds away.  They have no substance that our hands can grab, and they close around anything that moves through them.  There will always be clouds.  They will come and go, but they will always be with us.  What we need to remember is that behind the clouds the sun still shines.

I learned something today about healing.  It is not our job to brush away the clouds — they will always be with us.  It is our delightful duty to extend a hand bathed in Light through the clouds and darkness and invite another to join us on the other side of the darkness.  Just as the sun will burn away the clouds of the morning, compassion and trust will light the way from separation to healing.