There is a Light
From Kate Bowler…
“Too many people die with the song still in them.” A friend handed me those words when I was diagnosed with cancer and, for all the advice I received, this is the piece that has outlasted all the rest. You are a song—sing it. We must take that risk. We must sing the song that’s always in us.1
There’s a song that has been moving in my heart and mind the last 24 hours and it is in these two photos and in moments surrounding them.
If you read no further, just sit with those two photos. What song are they singing in you?
Here’s how they have been part of my song.
In my last post, I referred to some difficult things going on in life right now and they continue to be there and the reality is that they probably aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. We are in the time with them of not living past them but living in and with them. As Kate Bowler also wrote in Joyful Anyway, “joy does not need to wait until you are healed...you can be joyful and sad, which is a great trick.”2
So that’s where I found myself on Sunday and Monday - feeling the ache but also opening myself to joy coming alongside.
On Sunday morning, about 550 people stood vigil outside the ICE office in Cincinnati simply to witness and to support the Haitian people who have had their Temporary Protected Status revoked. I cannot imagine the ache that they must have felt driving from over an hour north at 7am on a Sunday morning to report to the ICE facility by 8am on a Sunday morning. But each person who drove by into the DHS parking lot saw the people, read the signs, heard the songs, and, as they walked in heard the shouts of love and support from those of us bearing witness. I don’t know if they felt joy along with their anxiety but at least I hope they felt...hope.
And then Monday morning, after another fitful night of sleep, I found joy alongside as Scout and I walked the lake. There were these unique sights due to the water being at an unusual level. (Insert sermon illustration here about whether we choose to jump into the waters of light and vibrance or stay on safe and colorless paths but that’s a post for another time).
And then there was this duck family I’ve seen several times over the last few days. The video is about 1 minute and have the sound on for my brilliant narration.
As we headed back to the car, the weight/joy scales were tipping more towards the joy side because of these little ones, especially the “escapee” toward the end. (Side note - Scout just stood there watching it all - she seems to know that babies shouldn’t be jumped at).
But rather than continue to the car, I felt like I wanted to go a bit further and so we kept walking down a path that we don’t often take and I am so grateful we did. A short while later, near our turnaround point to head back, a woman stopped when Scout started walking over to her. As she was giving Scout some head scratches, she asked about my prayer labyrinth tattoo. We talked about the meaning of it, the story behind it, and how there are quite a few labyrinths in the area. She was excited to hear that there was one right by where she lives and she would be stopping to “try it out.”
It gave me such joy to share that with her and to know that I would not have had that conversation had we just gone back to the car. And this is part of why I also started with Sunday’s vigil, and to what I hope those reporting to the DHS office could feel, even briefly, from the people gathered outside for them — some measure of light, some measure of hope.
But then came the two moments that I began this with and led to a song that I have continued to hold since.
This first one - other than some changing of the white balance, there is no editing to this one. This is what it looked like. Just that small patch of morning light shining through. In the moment, I thought of U2’s song, 13 (There is a Light) that has a repeated line - “...know that the darkness always gathers around the light.” But the song isn’t about the darkness but instead working to keep the light shining. As the chorus begins with holding up a light that isn’t always seen, it ends simply with... “Don’t let it go out...”
And then about ¼ of a mile later came the second moment...
The stop sign and a light source that is unseen but so present.
Some Programming Notes
MaryAnn McKibben Dana and I had a blast recording our latest PCPH a few days ago - this one on The Odyssey. We also are planning a weekly “Ted Talk” as we do 30 min conversations on each new episode of Ted Lasso. We’ll be recording these on Mondays at 1pm ET starting next week!
On a personal note, I am only like 15 subscribers away from 1,000 - which still kind of blows my mind. Anyway, could you forward this to someone and maybe help me reach that 1,000 goal?
A special thank you to two people who became paid subscribers as well - RMS and JL - thank you!
And finally, I have continued to send out blessings to people - several for birthdays, several for people in challenging circumstances, some “just because.” If you are interested, check this page for more info.
And finally, the required Scout image!
Grace, Peace, Love, Hope, and Joy,
Ed
Bowler, Kate. Joyful, Anyway (p. 264). Kindle Edition.
ibid, p. 258