Shining a little light . . .

A journey out of despair. C'mon along

Despair wasn’t working. I tried it for a while in early November. It was exhausting enough to provide a continuous excuse for a nap, but maintaining a state of despair and desperation day after day is hard.

Relief came in one surprising swoop.

Everything the future needs to hold itself together was articulated in remarks like these:

“You never lose your power to work for justice and peace.”

“Good people will always support sound government blessed with wisdom and grace, as well as justice and integrity in our courts.”

“Forecasters tell us the storm is coming; there’s only one ark, and we’re all in it together.”

“Candles of liberty flicker and dim; there will always be those to light them again.”

“When diverse peoples come together for a common purpose, we can live in peace.”

The above thoughts were part of a recent event in San Francisco, the annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast hosted by the San Francisco Interfaith Council. It’s been one of my favorite days for decades, and this year it served as a lift out of the black pit of despair.

Prayers are offered at the breakfast in just about every known religion and a few you hadn’t heard of: Native American, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu . . . I am partial to the Brahma Kumaris who are all about inner light and peace.

Which is precisely what we have, a little light to shine; as Martin Luther King Jr famously said, the darkness will not overcome it.

These were the thoughts that brought me back to life, especially the business about having the power to work for justice and peace. Even the teeniest bit of power: line by line, keeping an optimistic eye on what those – nonprofits, political leaders, wise reporters – who are out there doing the real work are about. I hope you’ll come along , on Fridays ahead.

EQUINOX by Richard Mayhew (1968) National Gallery of Art