“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

— Nelson Mandela

How quickly the days fly by.  Once again, I find myself looking at the blank slate of a brand new week.  I try to remember what last Monday brought my way; and only a few, dim snippets of memory remain of the day.  I know that I lived it, and I know that it was full of hours and minutes and moments of life; but what defines it best as a new week approaches is the sense of anticipation I carry with me today.  I suppose I could worry that my mind is beginning to slow.  I suppose I could be concerned that the events of only a week ago seem so vague and unimportant.  Instead, I take heart in the idea that I am living right now, in this moment, and not clinging to times that are past and events that are over and done.

What matters in the end are not the events of our lives, but the way we live them.  What I do remember as I look back to last week is the joy, the delight, the sadness, the seriousness — the whole range of human experience that was part of my interaction with others.  And most of all, I remember the light.  I remember the times when my own light shone brightly, illuminating my path and showing me the next step I would take in a sometimes dark world.  I remember with gratitude the times I was blessed with beacons, with glows, with flashes of light from others whose light would combine with my own and make it just a little bit brighter.

It is said that memories dim with time; but I would like to reach a point where I try to look back and remember the past, and all I can see is the Light.  If the details must fade, let them fade in comparison to the blinding, white glow of Love, Peace, and Spirit that overpowers their insignificance with beauty and truth.

As we strike out today into a new week of living, let us all remember to shine.  Nothing we say, nothing we do, nothing we produce will have such a profound impact on others as shining our light — it will give them permission to shine their own.