Darling Friends,

You don’t need to be reminded how difficult 2020 has been. So many people around the world have suffered the loss of loved ones. Somany have lost jobs, their savings, their sense of security. Here in Oregon, forest fires have ravaged town upon town, uprooting families from their homes, then consuming those homes entirely. People gather at churches, colleges, the State Fair Ground. They gather their children, their animals, their energy and strength and push aside fear and loss to simply move forward.

They are not remarkable by any means. They are people like you and me and that guy over there whose name you never learned. We are all just people trying to find meaning during a time of incredible confusion and upset. Maybe we cling tighter to our religious traditions, to our prejudices, certainly to our loved ones.

And there is something even sturdier we might find, something deeper in ourselves, something truer about reality.

Light.

I’m not talking about the light from the sun or the stars. Sure, sunlight chases away our night fears and makes our gardens grow. We can all identify with the quiet devotion of a sunflower turning its face to follow the sun’s path. And starlight is a universal source of inspiration and strength.

But there is another light, a light inside each one of us, a flickering flame of uniqueness bestowed to the world in our name and image. It is a source and strength no other human can bring to this world. It is your light, your essence, your blessing for this world, this time, this moment.

And amid all the ash falling to earth, amid the financial and personal losses of these days, your light is vital. Your light can pierce through the smoke and red haze claiming Western skies. Your light can soothe and heal and enliven. In the solitude of your home, your room, your thought, your light is a blessing to everyone.

You need only to shine. Shine with the hope your breath inspires. Shine with the voice which is yours alone–in words, in song, in squeals of childlike joy. Shine with all you are, this moment.

And the light that is you and me and that nameless guy over there will spark something new and fresh and living, a wave of light opening the path forward.

Wishing you love and sweetness, my dazzling friends.