Light Overcomes Darkness

"Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before - it takes something from him."
- Louis L'Amour

The thought of road rage and what that says about many of us came to me one morning while driving to work. I drove up on a line of traffic with people merging in from the right where two lanes became a single lane.

People inched forward not allowing any space for someone to enter the line of traffic. Some of the people in the right lane unaware of being in the wrong lane and were using their blinkers requesting entry into the left line.

Others came speeding up in the right lane, fully aware they were going to pass the long line of traffic. Their intent being interpreted as, "I'm better then you and I'm not going to wait."

There were all sorts of reasons.

Drivers in the left lane were a mixture of attitudes and grace also. Some would open a space for both types of right-lane people. While others maintained a 'zero-space' and 'zero-tolerance' for those in the right lane of traffic.

This went on until a driver in front of me began yelling at one of the right lane drivers with gestures and well thought out verbiage. There had been some sort of affront to him and he was going to let the other driver be aware of it.

In that instance, his inner self was being put on display for all to see.

All of us carry something inside we probably are not proud of; especially when it gets put on display for others to see. But when we keep the "not so proud of" things inside, it is there, kept in darkness and it grows to destroy you. Allowing the darkness inside to rule the day only leads to stress and anger.

We do a very good job of hiding those things within our inner darkness. For some reason, we find those times where it gets released from the darkness. Like when sitting in a car, in traffic, where we somehow believe others can not see us.

If you were standing in line for coffee and a person cut in line, you might say something but chances are the situation is a bit too personal, too upfront. So we tend to be more civil in our discussion with the other person. Yet in a car, all inhibition seems to be removed.

Darkness finds a way to take control over our actions.

We think we are hidden or protected within our space. The vehicle, tucked away in our office or behind closed doors of our home. The problem is many others get to see these glimpses of the inner stuff going on. Inner darkness is revealed and we barely realize it.

I have had issues with impatience and believing my driving is far superior to others. My frustration boiled over nearly 30 years ago and my left temple took the brunt of someones fist. We read stories of this rage spilling over into even greater excess. The outcomes can be disastrous and many times deadly.

What need the ability to destroy the darkness inside by letting the light in. Allow a bit more grace on the roads is a start. But we can also try to relax a more and try to slow down, not be in such a hurry. We all lead hectic and stressful lives.

It might be time to adjust the way we live in order to enjoy it more.

Do not let the darkness win. Relax and enjoy the ride.

Stay inspired my friends!

Stronger Than All Obstacles

“The dance between darkness and light will always remain, the stars and the moon will always need the darkness to be seen, the darkness will just not be worth having without the moon and the stars.” ― C. JoyBell C.

When just short of two years old, this child fell ill and it took from her both sight and hearing. There were many people who wrongly attached the stigma of being dumb when faced with this blind and deaf child. It was said that being unable to see or hear the speech of others, a child could not learn.

Despite these challenges, this child grew up to become

... a college graduate.
... a public speaker.
... the author of several books.

The accomplishments of this child, this woman, were not entirely accomplished by self alone. There were other people that believed in her as well. But if she had not worked with all her ability to respond to the efforts of her teacher and those other people, this woman would not have reached all of those great accomplishments.

The woman that I speak of is of course Helen Keller.

She is quoted as saying, "the most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me. I am filled with wonder when I consider the immeasurable contrast between the two lives which it connects. It was the third of March; 1887, three months before I was seven years old."

Helen gave an example of what she experienced by saying, "Have you ever been at sea in a dense fog, when it seemed as if a tangible white darkness shut you in, and the great ship, tense and anxious, groped her way toward the shore with plummet and sounding-line, and you waited with beating heart for something to happen? I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without compass or sounding-line, and had no way of knowing how near the harbour was. "Light! give me light!" was the wordless cry of my soul, and the light of love shone on me in that very hour."

Achieving with small steps of progress, slowly finding your way down a path of experience is a wonderful thing.

In her accomplishments, Helen Keller goes on to say, "No deaf child who has earnestly tried to speak the words which he has never heard--to come out of the prison of silence, where no tone of love, on song of bird, no strain of music ever pierces the stillness--can forget the thrill of surprise, the joy of discovery which came over him when he uttered his first word. It is an unspeakable boon to me to be able to speak in winged words that need no interpretation. As I talked, happy thoughts fluttered up out of my words that might perhaps have struggled in vain to escape my fingers. "My little sister will understand me now," was a thought stronger than all obstacles."

Achievement is possible in many forms with persistence towards that end.

For Helen Keller, it could be said it was if Isaiah's prophecy had been fulfilled in her. And each of us will experience this same feeling in which "the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands!"

Experience the wonder of achievement by never allowing darkness to win.

Your life is worth every tone of love, song of a bird and stronger than any obstacle.

Stay inspired my friends.

Lighting the Way

“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” ― William Shakespeare

You probably arose this morning, made coffee and retrieved the paper out front. There was a bit of time in your morning to to have a small breakfast before heading off to work or one of several different appointments. It could even be a weekend morning and a trip to the store to pick up items, filling up with gas or possibly a meeting with friends for a meal.

Today is a chance for each of us shine a bit of light on other people.

We can be a light of goodness to pass on a smile, a good word or kindness to brighten their day. Being this type of person who passes along kindness does not require greatness or training.

It only requires allowing the light within you to reveal itself.


We have a light to share and many around us need a light to shine upon their darkness.

The darkness could be a troubling day at work, an issue with another person close to them or one of a thousand other issues. What they need is a nice word or a smile to make a change in their day.

All you have to do is allow your light to chase out the darkness in another person's life. It doesn't take much light to open that path for someone. Let your light be the path for someone.

And stay inspired my friends!

Winter Is Here Again

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." ― Anne Bradstreet

At midnight, as the clocks rolled over in bed to greet December 21, it arrived quietly and without fanfare. Most were asleep and did not hear as it crept into our new day. There would be no stopping this change, this constant reminder of nature.

Winter was officially here.

People awoke the next day sensing the change. It seemed much darker and that darkness lasted longer. One could feel the change but most were unsure of what the change had been. As the Sun fought to erase the darkness, we simply let the feeling pass.

Yet winter was finally here.

The holidays kept us busy and full of energy. There were gifts to wrap, meals to plan and a new year celebration to attend to. Our minds were kept occupied by other more important things. No one had time to think, much less concern themselves with the new season.

Winter had quietly taken hold.

Now the celebrations are over, the relatives gone home and we see the darkness of evening approach early. The snow has lost the virginal white of a new snowfall as the wear of foot and wheel leave their stain. Even the cold seems much sharper in it's bite of skin.

Yet winter remains his keep.

It is easy to allow the depressing gray of cold winter skies and darkness of long nights to grab hold of us. But each day becomes slightly longer as the Sun begins to retake its place. The promise of spring lingers more and more within our minds.

Winter will not overcome us.

Winter is rightfully here in its place among the seasons. A cycle in life that has, does and will always occur. Our own seasons will cycle like the winter into spring and summer. Changes in our life and circumstance will sneak in like winter and catch us with surprise.

Yet winter will not overcome us.

Stay inspired my friends!

Stepping Into Darkness

"When you get to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly." - Edward Teller

There are moments we are confronted with a challenge in life. It could be a job loss, an issue with children or health. It is a moment that challenges us with a decision.

Will you step into that darkness to confront the challenge?

Will you have faith to make that next step into the unknown? Or will you stop cold in your footsteps hold onto the light, never to get past your fear?

To overcome, there will be these moments of decision.

Trust in your self and walk boldly beyond the light into the unknown. Confront the challenge in order to overcome it. With boldness, trust and faith, you will be taken to a new place beyond the darkness.

Have faith in what you can do. Move forward through the darkness to find daylight in your life. And stay inspired my friends.

Good Friday Lesson

"You must never conclude, even though everything goes wrong, that you cannot succeed. Even at the worst there is a way out, a hidden secret that can turn failure into success and despair into happiness. No situation is so dark, that there is not a ray of light." -Norman Vincent Peale

Each of us will go through points in life that cause us to question whether we can complete the journey. It could be finishing high school, years of college debt, loneliness, divorce or the death of a loved one. There are so many stories each of us could tell. You could call these testimonials of ones completed journey through a tough change in life. The completion of one journey is the start of another using the lessons learned.

Yet the path we are on can get quite dark at times. There are times of pain due to health or the crush of a lost relationship. There are times of economic strain, lack of wisdom on what to do with our life and anxiety over things uncontrolled. The tunnel we have entered grows darker with the fading light behind us.

there are of course many things to help cast light upon our darkened path. We have words of encouragement, along with family and friends to help lift us up. We can trust in our own foot steps as we feel our way along the pitch black walls of the tunnel, straining our eyes for any hope.

But we also have one great and wondrous thing going for us.

We have what is being celebrated by Christian believers. We have the gift given to us by the ONE that died in that darkness so our own darkness was given light. It is the knowledge which places a light at the end of the tunnel, offering us a beacon of hope to carry on.

Have a Good Friday, joyful Easter and stay inspired my friends.

Leap Into Darkness

Leaping Into Darkness - Sherly Nome

"We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success." -Henry David Thoreau

A friend of mine had an unfortunate accident recently. Given the fall weather and the colorful leaves that come with it, inevitably the rain gutters will fill with them. The job of cleaning those leaves before the snow and ice appear becomes necessary.

So not thinking twice, he placed his ladder up against the house and climbed. What you may have already guessed is that the ladder did not remain in an upright position. The bottom slipped out and from roughly eight feet in the air, gravity did the rest.

Luckily he landed on both feet, a perfect landing in gymnastic terms. But most of us are not well-tuned gymnasts and my friend suffered a compression fracture of his L2 Vertebrae. The diagnosis is good and it will take time to heal. For now he is in a Rehab Center learning how to do all of those things we take for granted on a daily basis; like getting out of bed.

It happens that I was in the area where he lives on a business trip. So after work, I had made the decision to go visit him. I thought that a nice card and some magazines to read would help fill his days. Flowers would have been useless to him, so "Mr. Sensible" me would have to find a magazine stand instead of a flower shop.

Since this is New England, the early darkness that comes in the fall had descended like a curtain over the tree-filled landscape. So with a printed map, a GPS map on my phone, the gathering darkness and having Myopia vision (really badly), off I went.

There was no real use in bringing the maps for I couldn't read them without my reading glasses. And to put on my reading glasses meant that I could not see out past the windshield wipers on the car. The GPS map on my phone was a blur of bright light in the darkness as well. But off into the darkness I went, with a goal in mind to see my friend.

Each of us reach a point in life when we find ourselves in a similar position. Our goal is out there, somewhere in front of us and we are running out of daylight. We are scrambling to keep up with the light, trying to get as far as we can. But sometimes we need to embrace the darkness and let our other senses guide us.

The darkness is not something to be feared, it is something that merely changes the way we need to approach things. The dark may take away my clear vision, but it heightens my thoughts, my hearing, and mind. All of these other senses come to life when the light goes away. They each seem to shout out "its my turn, my turn to shine and guide me to the destination."

You have the power of many senses inside that sometimes only the gathering darkness reveals. Use them and trust them to guide you in life. Your vision in the light of day is only one-fifth of the generally known senses. There are at least four others, which would make sight an even smaller portion of what is available to us.

Rely upon everything at your disposal and not just sight. Use touch, hearing and even smells to remind you of familiar things. You have a mind that can process so many different things that soon the mystery of darkness becomes non-mysterious. Soon the darkness becomes just another path to walk on your way to those goals you have in life.

I made it to see my friend, the darkness did not hold me back. Leap out into the darkness and find your way in life. The light will return to provide additional clarity, and reveal the greatness in your life.

Chase Away the Darkness

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

I am the type of person that arrives at work very early in the morning. I arrive long before others begin to stir from their beds. Long before the rush of the day starts to invade the quiet morning hush.

It is normally a darkened sky depending upon the Moon's position. Some mornings it is black as ink while other times it is bathed in bluish tones of reflected moonlight. The Moon does what it can to chase away the thickness of night as it reflects the light of the Sun.

But as the Sun begins to rise, it stands as the light which chases all darkness out of the sky. The light moves into the recesses in which darkness attempts to hide. It fills our world with the ability to see what exists around us. It allows us to look beyond what darkness attempts to hide.

I sit and think about the lives of people I know. There are people struggling financially with jobs and bills piling up. Others with relationships either in want of one or suffering through one. We know of people that are dealing with medical issues which claw at their hopes and beliefs. So many people out there being pulled into darkness.

While it is not possible to fix and correct all that happens to people, we can provide a light. We can not necessarily be the brilliant sunlight that chases away the darkness. We can be the candle at the end of the hall, guiding them. We can be a source of light shining through and into the window of their hearts offering hope.

We can be the moonlight reflecting a greater source of light. Moonlight that provides temporary ability for them to find their way until the light of day returns. We can chase some of the darkness away. We can make a difference in the life of another person.