Promises

As the days steadily lengthen, the wash of twilight stretches out with the lingering light.  In the last few minutes of the day a quiet descends in the woods.  The squirrels scurry around for a few more morsels as do the birds swooping into the feeders one last time.  There is always one braver than than the rest who skirts the falling darkness to feed when all the others are safely in their night roosts.   Peace descends. There is a sacredness present unlike any other time of day.  I have often wondered if it is because the night calls for trust tomorrow will come.

When our lives feel barren and we are at a loss for direction, perhaps it might be helpful to remember the twilight as a promise.  Rather than be plunged frightened into the dark, the Real World eases us into the evening.  The light is kept shining until the last possible moment while the lanterns of the night sky are turning on.  Look, it whispers gently.  Don't be afraid of your life.  Even when you feel the way forward is lost, the lights are still burning, even in the dark. 


                                                      "We know the road; as the moonlight
                                                        Lights everything, so on a night like this,
                                                        The road goes on ahead, it is all clear."
                                                                                            Robert Bly