I remember the musings of an old high school mentor. They always talked about the existing light within each person. How there is this perception that the light of our souls can’t be controlled, when in fact it’s the opposite. Our light is a tool. While everyone shines and burns a little different, everyone can be luminescent.

This past month I’ve come to that realization. I burn differently than everyone around me, but this isn’t a statement of isolation but one of individualized celebration. Thank goodness we don’t all burn the same way. We’d be stuck with a cascading symphony of blinding white light. There would be no layers of orang, red, yellow. There’s different levels of warmth with each light as well. How important this is to remember. We all have a little niche to fill, and this leads me to my first point. It’s important that we all choose to shine, in our own ways. Any classic pyromaniac knows what happens when you combine two, three, four flames: the light extends, the burn increases. While this metaphor is cheesy, its simplicity lead me to some needed peace.

I am very thankful for the bright orchestra that is this group, and the way that each person shines to fill a whole that darkness would otherwise infect.

Here are some sedent musings I’ve drummed up on this subject:

The twinkling spark of light comes with birth,

Our log of light lit to burn for lives‘ warmth,

You see an ember burning bright and hard with life,

Stoked quietly through the winds and pressure of time.

We pray for deep seated coals ones the ignite others.

We bend and break to smoke the last parts of lights, bandaging darkness

For darkness embodies the fear of an end or the absence of value.

Just as an ember burns bright,

It can stop.

Inviting in the cold.

But the truth needed recognized is an ember burned bright is infectious.

Each embers warmth can be attributed to someone’s spark.

And for that we remember,

Our own warmth emphasized by the light of others.

We burn because people burned before us, and will after.

Continue to light, spark, in remembrance.

Project the same dark orange energy of those that lit before us.

And we will lit for those that come after.

Peace Homies,

Landon

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