The Light within Darkness

The Light within Darkness
**originally written on January 29, 2010**

There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. Carl Jung

It is said that we are constantly moving into a challenging storm of life, struggling through one currently, or just coming through one.  And as negative as this may sound, it conversely suggests that we are moving into a beautiful time in life, are enjoying one currently, or are just completing the celebration of one.  The darkness and brightness of life, then, are just two opposite ways of seeing the same event.  

 
As bright as life has been recently, I often find myself peaking toward the shadows wondering, "What will I do then?"  Unfortunately, we don't need to wonder very long as the shadows creep into all of our lives occasionally.  The last two weeks have served as a painful reminder of that truth.

 
Two weeks ago my day began with the rush to catch a flight.  Upon landing there was news of an earthquake in Haiti. By the end of the day it was revealed that several hundred thousand people were feared dead; millions more in suffering, homeless, broken. The human pain there is unimaginable; the sense of hopelessness overwhelming.  

More close to home, a few days after the quake a friend from high school was rocked through the death of his daughter.  This sweet little one was almost a year old and had battled leukemia bravely since her birth.  It was a huge loss for the family and all who love them. 
Later that day we received news that my wife's father, Joe, likely has cancer.  By the end of the week he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic, liver and colon cancer.  It remains stunning, saddening news. 

There were many more significant tragedies from the previous couple of weeks, but as I see you are about to leave the computer, proceed to the window, and jump - I'll stop and come to the point.  Through these tragedies, somehow, there remain glimmers of hope.  The great majority of the Haitian people have united and worked together, there have been amazing stories of valor and courage, there exists the possibility that through this catastrophe the poorest nation in this hemisphere may follow the example of the phoenix and rise from the ashes.  The death of that baby girl has united a family, a church and a community in sadness - and love.  My father-in-law's cancer has brought about the celebration of life: his family is united around him, he is soaking in the moments with his grandchildren, and tonight hundreds of his friends and family gather for a prayer service - not only asking for a miracle of healing, but celebrating the miracle of life that already has been gifted to Joe.     

Like you, I have responsibilities at work, at home and in the community.  Like you, I am busy and have many pulls on my time.  Like you, I sometimes struggle just staying above the water.  Tonight though, I am reminded of the fragility of life and the common bonds that sustain us and offer meaning:  our desire to love and be loved; our need to be part of something bigger than ourselves; our desire to be appreciated and remembered; our ability to rise up and fight, our joy found in the presence of a good friend, and our amazing gift extended to each of us to choose, moment by moment to step toward a life bigger, better and more meaningful than anything we dreamed possible.

Today, I am reminded that life is remarkably beautiful, dreadfully sad, totally deficient, and, somehow, entirely perfect.  It is, my friends, only in the darkness of life that our eyes are permitted to see what they too often miss in the light. 

John O'Leary | RisingAbove
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