Message of the Month
In these December days, the darkest of the year in our hemisphere, we often look for ways to add light to our environments. We burn candles, candles, and more candles. We festoon trees, rooflines, and lots of other surfaces with strings of twinklers. We gaze into our fireplaces – be they wood, gas, or electronic in nature. Clearly, the human need for light is a powerful thing. We can see this in the number of common phrases that include a reference to light. Here are just a few:
All sweetness and light
At first light
Light hearted
Light headed
Light as a feather
Out like a light
Light it up
Get the green light
Light years away
In the cold light of day
Light at the end of the tunnel
Light of my life
Light of the world
A quick Internet search of "Quotes About Light" reveals page after page of interesting ideas. Mathematicians, musicians, poets, and all manner of writers seem to have had something to say on the subject.
Oddly - or perhaps not, both Bram Stoker (Dracula) and Stephanie Meyer (Twilight series) have seemed to find the topic fascinating; vampires, despite what we've heard, apparently crave light in some (human) form – at least in these two tales.
Pythagoras and Plato both pondered the phenomenon of light. Their words perhaps inspired many – among them Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey, and Taylor Swift.
Many of my heroes have long been novelists and poets. Lots of them have incorporated thoughts about light into their work. If you are reading my blog, I would guess that you admire some of these people, too. Here are a few choice quotes for your reading pleasure.
"Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning…Make some light."
(Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux)
"We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are."
(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
"She was bendable light; she shone around every corner of my day."
(Jerry Spinelli, Stargirl)
"May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out."
(J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)
"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world."
(William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice)
"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."
(Leonard Cohen, Selected Poems)
"PHOSPHORESCENCE. Now there's a word to lift your hat to … to find that phosphorescence, that light within, that's the genius behind poetry."
(Emily Dickenson)
Here is a little poem for you about light. It is (very literally) mostly based upon several of the numerous dictionary definitions of the word. Cheers (and light) to you!
Light By Definition
May your days
in this place
be easy to bear,
easy to do -
at least sometimes.
May you move
with ease, moderately;
coming to rest, and
departing suddenly,
as you choose –
once in awhile.
May you feel
merry, happy,
dizzy, giddy,
and more –
on occasion.
May you make
it yourself,
of yourself,
if you like -
in order to
have little weight
or lack seriousness.
May you know
that you are
all kinds of shine,
and may you live
all the luster
that you crave.
Stella Castella