Light, and the darkness crumbles into the nothing that it is
Wednesday January 07th 2015, 11:39 pm
Filed under: Family,Life,Politics

Ross Douthat at the New York Times wrote THE article about the events in Paris today that most needed to be written.

We are all Charlie.

We got a phone call tonight: having been frustrated by the problem for some time, our daughter was finally appealing to her tall dad to help her with some burned-out lights. They needed to be reached so she could see them and know what size to order and she felt too unsteady to risk trying. There were I think six in her kitchen ceiling and three by now had gone dark.

We went over there and helped her unscrew those bulbs. Then asked, why wait on shipping? There was a hardware store almost around the corner.

It seemed to me it wasn’t just the lights–it was that her injuries having been re-ignited last Friday, she needed to fix something to brighten her day that was within her power. Especially today. But she was not up to going to the shop, maybe multiple shops, to look for new ones, and she hadn’t been about to risk another fall by trying to even start the task alone.

Well, we could go, we offered, glad to help. And so we bought new bulbs, a grand total of $12 for three flood types, in LED no less–boy have prices come down–and came back over. With her big strong daddy again holding her steady standing on a chair, she screwed those new lights in herself.

I turned the switch on on the wall. We looked upwards in great satisfaction. Such a difference!

The darkness is a very small part of the world but it tries to claim great power. It deceives only itself. We are greater and we shine everywhere. Every good person in every religion or none who is trying to live by love. Love for those we know, love for those we don’t, love to all simply because we share our humanity and find it good.

We bring the light. We are Charlie.


6 Comments so far
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Dark days are so painful. I am glad you were able to bring in a bit of light.

Comment by Sherry in Idaho 01.08.15 @ 9:30 am

Your post is very moving. I’m grateful you were able to support Michelle, in every way you did. Who would have thought changing a lightbulb could mean so much!

Praying for her continued recovery.

Comment by Suzanne from Montreal 01.08.15 @ 10:27 am

Wonderful. Thanks so much for writing this.

Comment by kmom 01.08.15 @ 8:15 pm

<3. That is all. 🙂

Comment by (formerly) no-blog-rachel 01.09.15 @ 6:27 am

Ross’ article is compelling and thinking-provoking; your post is moving and loving-provoking. I’m glad I read both today.

Comment by twinsetellen 01.09.15 @ 12:36 pm

a very powerful post here Alison — the perfect summation there in the last two sentences — as artists we are Charlie — and we bring the light

Comment by Bev 01.12.15 @ 10:10 am



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