This little light o’ mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel, no. I’m gonna let it shine. – old Black spiritual, Civil Rights Era anthem
How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. –Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in. – Anthem, by Leonard Cohen Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. –Jesus People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. –Elisabeth Kübler-Ross There are two ways of spreading light: to be The candle or the mirror that reflects it. I let my wick burn out—there yet remains To spread an answering surface to the flame That others kindle. – Edith Wharton, “Vesalius in Zante” You are a light. Never let anyone—any person or any force—dampen, dim, or diminish your light. Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictate. Release the need to hate, to harbor division and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don’t be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice. And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself. –The late Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis ********** I sang that song in Sunday school. I read that play at a Christian college. I listened to Cohen’s lyrics on a long road trip.
I memorized Jesus’s words and earned a little gold star sticker.
I became familiar with Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief after my divorce.
I read the poem “Vesalius in Zante” this weekend to enrich my mind.
I watched John Lewis live these words, from Selma to the U.S. Capitol until his passing in 2020.
It takes so much energy to look for the light and to be the light in the midst of darkness. But these songs, poems, literature, psychology, speeches, and verses will keep the candle burning as long as we keep our eyes focused and our minds discerning when lying and greed are burning out of control.
Look for the light which comes not from inflammatory words but from the soft glow of a match lit with truthful knowledge, compassion, wisdom and a genuine desire to take care of this world that God created just for us.
Snyder, Texas, native Sue Jane Sullivan is a retired schoolteacher whose thought-provoking commentary appears occasionally in several West Texas newspapers, including The Texas Spur and The Caprock Courier.
