The Gift of Darkness

My husband and I were sitting outside in the mountains at night in hard metal chairs. We were bundled up in layers to keep warm, with our eyes towards the sky. We were with a hundred other people getting ready to watch an amazing show.

A small non-profit had driven a mobile observatory up the mountain. In the back of their truck was a huge telescope and big monitor. One guy pointed the telescope toward astral phenomena, which displayed on the screen. Another guy used a laser pointer to give us a planetarium-style demonstration of the stars but looking at the actual night sky!!!

I had never seen a sky like this before. Every constellation was brilliantly lit. The Milky Way glowed and shimmered. Plus, the Perseid Meteor shower was happening, and every few minutes a ball of white light streaked across the sky. Many of these shooting stars had tails of green light streaming behind them.

I was in heaven, and I have to acknowledge that this heaven existed because of the dark. There was no light pollution. No night lights. Just a velvety, draping darkness, allowing for a brilliant window to the night sky.

I think all dark moments have the gift of seeing the stars.

We are in a dark moment of history right now. Our hearts are chafed and worn by both natural and human-made tragedy, with no break in sight.

It is at this moment, however, that true goodness, kindness, and generosity shine the brightest. Stories of people helping each other bring tears to my eyes these days. Beautiful writing about the goodness of life is my soul nourishment.

I don’t love these dark times, just like I don’t love the darkness itself, but I can at least partake in this one gift: It puts the light into relief and makes its beauty more ethereal and wonderful than before.

xoxo,

Emma