Sense of Direction

                                                   Accept your light and let it shine

to create your own lighthouse

on a stormy night.

Pauline Duncan Thrasher

Friends are a true treasure and they successfully  help us face many of our challenges.  They remind us of our inner light encouraging us on our way.  Often times, however, we find ourselves alone on a dark night and our problems can appear to be over whelming.

At the very most southern tip of Key Westhe light house still stands.  Looking up at it and wondering how many lives it had saved over the years, I imagined shipmen floating in darkness and then glimpsing a brief flash of light.  What relief they must have felt especially on a stormy night. 

We can all be a light house for others, standing strong and permanent in our welcome to others.  Our positive attitude can draw others towards us again, just like a light house.  We all carry light within and we need to be our own light house.

It seems as darkness falls, our concerns grow heavier.  We easily forget the  words of confidence spoken during the hours of light.  So we must strengthen our own light by revisiting our list of affirmations, or reading past journals testifying to our strength in previous difficult times.  We can meditate or contemplate or spend the time in quiet prayer.   All of these habits help to ignite our flame so we can be strong in the face of a storm.

Wouldn't we all rather be a strong light house, a beacon of light for ours selves and others rather than be afloat in the darkness surrounded by the unknown?  And that is what happens when we do not feed our light, and keep it strong.  We end up floating in the unknown darkness, losing all bearings and sense of direction.

By our favorite chair or nightstand, we need to keep a ready supply of matches ... inspirational writings, poems of hope, affirmations or journals ... whatever lights your fire!