“Stay the course, light a star,

Change the world where’er you are.”

– Richard Le Gallienne

For some time now I have been thinking and speaking about my intention to bring Love and Light to the world.  I would say that it is my primary goal, but the truth is that it is my only goal.  Just how does one go about meeting such an ambitious expectation?  This has been the question that follows the thought each time I verbalize my lofty ideas.

This week has been an adventure.  Nothing is the same for me.  Instead of getting up early to prepare breakfast for my family, pack lunches, see them off, take a walk, and write my daily thoughts, I have been joining them in hurrying out the door for a day away from home.  I have spent my days with two little girls in a strange house with a completely different schedule and none of my own familiar things to bring me comfort.  I sit in a different chair, drink coffee from a strange mug, cook in a strange kitchen and serve food that is not on my menu at home.

I was thinking today about all of the differences in my life this week.  I was thinking of times in my younger years when such changes would have created a struggle for me.  I was thinking about the way that my changed perspective on living my life has changed the way I feel this week.  I was thinking about the way that my whole view of life has changed by focusing my intention on bringing Love and Light to the places I go.

When I was young, my contentment, my happiness, and even my view of the contribution I might offer was dependent on external things.  I was like a mirror sitting outside and waiting for the weather to determine what I would reflect.  If the sun was out, I was all warmth and light.  If clouds covered the sun, I reflected their dreariness and made that my gift to the world.  If it rained, my own tears might add to the sadness around me.

All that changed when I decided that what I wanted to give was Love and Light.  In order to make that decision, I had to discover that I was not a mirror but a storage cell with a radiance that came from deep inside of me.  I had to trust that my light was not dependent on the fickle sun but was, indeed, the essence of who I am.  I find that I’m reminded of this during my week of change.  Whether my surroundings are familiar or completely different from my usual comfort zone, there is always a need for Love to warm the hearts of those I meet and Light to brighten the space we share.  If the sun is out, it only seems brighter when we also shine our light.  If clouds darken the day, then we can be the beacon that shines through the darkness and brings hope to the places we go.

Give it a try.  Don’t look for the sun and hold up a mirror.  Close your eyes.  See your own radiance.  Shine your light, no matter where you are.