Dear Friends,
Today is a special day in my world, its the 4th anniversary of these Glimmers. I took a chance, four years ago, and said “yes” to the idea of sharing my little light with you. I didn’t expect it in the beginning, but as I’ve heard from so many of you over the years, I experienced a precious connection. When we share the gift of hope with one another, hope is enriched, enlivened, expanded. We are encouraged, perhaps, to share our light with others…one to the next…letting hope shine forth in the world around us.
May the enlightenment of Epiphany reach across time and space into our hearts, breaking them open to receive the light we need. May we see our own broken and fearful places as a source of wisdom and wholeness. May we allow Love to heal our hearts, as we share that healing Love with the world. Blessings on this Epiphany of 2018,
I share here the Glimmer from 2014 as an anthem of hope for us all.
I write this message as the sun goes down on January 5th, 2014. The sky is hovering between grey and snowy white as it awaits the deep darkness that will soon come. Snow is all around the house on this cold Connecticut evening, but even the snow will be covered by the blanket of night.
I am in a place of expectant waiting as I think of you, because I know tomorrow is January 6, the Feast of Epiphany. I know the darkness will be pierced by the bright light of the dawn. I know the gift of Epiphany that brings light into our tender souls.
In Christian tradition, Epiphany celebrates the arrival of three kings or wise men to the manger of baby Jesus. This moment brings the birth of Christ to the larger world. Thomas Keating, OCSO, suggests that Epiphany might be called “enlightenment” in other religions. He says,
“Epiphany is the inward realization and consciousness of being identified with who we really are. We are not our false selves or egos. Kiss them goodbye. ….the most important aspect in life is the epiphany or revelation of God that is going on all the time in the details of life.” *
All the time…God is revealed in the faces I see at the grocery store. All the time…God is revealed in my car’s full tank of gas, my husband’s surprise gift on a cold winter day. All the time…God is even revealed in my impatience with a telemarketer, because I’m invited to respond as my best self to this other human being. God is indeed in the details of life as I have the opportunity, again and again, to discover and share Love.
Christmas provides a helpful context so we can see Love being born into our world. On Epiphany, Love breaks through convention and hierarchy. The streams of light brings a king to his knee and elevates the hearts of all who stop to wonder.
Can we pause, look deep within and see the flicker of Love in our hearts? It’s there. It may be wounded or wandering, it may be strong and steady, On this Epiphany, let us embrace the revelation, once again, that we each carry a divine spark. We “house” the Divine in our hearts. Together, let us nurture the light of Love and learn from it. Together, let us open ourselves to the unending source of Love
*Contemplative Outreach News, Vol. 30, Number 1, December 2013
Love to you, Lisa
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