Presence in darkness

It was early in the morning in the fading moon light I captured this sight about, four hundred meters away. The golden yellow palm leaves added brightness to this photo. The house was partly visible through the foliage. 

It is a dark period in the history of India now. Thousands of farmers in the outskirts of the capital waiting for redressal of their bereft state because of the new farm laws. About 20 people have already died due to the inclement weather. The state of West Bengal is in a political storm between the state government and the central government. We are yet to know the way the pandemic is going to behave. There is a voice of reason from the honourable Supreme Court. There is a voice of confrontation form the corridors of power in New Delhi.

It was in a similar intense darkness and human suffering, the star of the East appeared two thousand years ago as a pointer to the hope that would last. The shepherds and the wise men were the first to reach Bethlehem after they received the good news. 

The churches would be decorated without people being able to congregate to sing carols of joy during this Christmas season. The curtain would fall on 2020 without the usual watch night service.

In the photo above, the visible presence of the palm trees and the hidden house bring some comfort! There is light in every darkness!

I heard my colleagues narrate their experiences of receiving the blessings of light during a dark year. One was able to see her house built, another experienced how the family rallied around  her cousins who needed surgery, a third person told the story of her happy marriage, a fourth colleague mentioned about a new awareness of human kindness, and another mentioned of some new initiatives to help each other during this season. It brought the confluence of light in some abundance. For me it was a year of consolidating a few important pending projects. 

The darkness shall pave the way for light!

The Light of hope is in our hearts. That gives us an optic to see the light in darkness.

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)