children of light

Ye are all the children of light... 1 Thessalonians 5:5

Alison sent me some pictures from Uncle Calfrey’s funeral... pictures of Uncle Harold holding her baby boy Aidan. Uncle Harold’s weathered, gnarled farmer hands are tenderly holding the tiny boy... his face smiling through the grief at the sight of this new life in the world. His baby brother’s life has ended but he sees the hope in this new boy baby. The old farmer’s face shines white at his forehead where his hat covers his head... he never goes outside without his cap... two children of light... one beginning his journey and one at the end... precious children of light.
I look at the image of Uncle Harold and Aidan and see the young boy inside the old man and I catch a glimpse of the old man in the baby boy. We are time travelers... and we carry the past and the future within our mortal selves. Aidan carries the family memories in his body. Somewhere in his genetic code lives my dad... Uncle Harold... me... Alison, his mother... my grandma... Michael, his Pop... David his father... David’s parents... all those who have gone before... all those children of light who are a part of his past and his future.
The inner light, an image beloved by Quakers, shines in us all. Some of us are more translucent than others... sometimes the light is dimmed by sorrow, grief, anger or hurt... but the light does not go out. It is a gift that comes to us when we are born... a welcome to the world gift from our Creator. Perhaps that is why we respond so sweetly to babies... the light has not yet been shadowed by the passage of time.
Their beings reflect a clearer image of ourselves as we are meant to be... as we are... as we could be... dependent on others for our nurture and care... unable to control the world around us... having faith that what is needed will be provided... trusting in the loving care of those who surround us in our present and past... children of light whose only task is to grow towards Love and bring our reflection of the Loving Light into this dark world.
As Lent begins next week, I will store in my heart the images of Aidan and Uncle Harold. I will carry their reflected Light in my memory as I enter the time of growing darkness... the journey towards the extinguishing of the Light of the World... and trust that the Light will come alive again... I will wait for the Light to shine on and through me once again. For as surely as day turns into night, night will become day again and I will be bathed in the Light that never dims or fades... the Loving Light of my Creator. Thanks be to God for darkness and light...