Finding Light

My heart just hurts this morning with what has happened in Boston.  

I am so sad for those who were celebrating amazing athletic achievement and are now broken hearted. 

I want to know WHY someone did this.  What was the reason?  What was the motivation?  Who on earth would do this to children?  What makes you so full of hatred?

I want to DO something BIG.  I want to help or give blood or drive up to Boston and hug everyone I see. 

I want to change careers to help those who feel that blowing up innocent people will meet their agenda or need for fame or whatever twisted feeling they have growing inside of them today.

I want to single-handily change the perception of mental health diseases in this country.  Remove the financial and mental barriers that stop people from getting the help they so desperately need so we can stop the Newtowns, the Columbines, the Virginia Techs and so many other tragedies that dot our headlines.

None of those options are realities right at this moment, SO I have decided to fight the darkness with light.  For that is how we combat hatred and sorrow in real life.  We flood the world with goodness.  We seek random acts of kindness.  And we love those around us.   As Glennon Dolye Melton, my favorite blogger, says - be a truth teller and a hope spreader. The world needs more of us.

I made a list of the things I can do today, right now to pass that light on to whomever needs it right now.  

1. Smile at everyone I see today. Say hello when it feels awkward or odd to do so. 

2. Stop and listen, really listen, to the stories of those around me.  Not the cursory mom listening while children play, but really hear them and share their moments. 

3. Give back to causes I care about.  Time, talent, treasure, whatever makes sense at that moment.  The more we give away, the more love grows.  Plain and simple.

4. Be myself, because "everyone else is taken".  And by being myself, allow others the safety to be themselves and show their light to the world.

5. Remind myself that everyone is fighting a hard battle.  And most of the time, they are doing the best that they can. 

I am sure there are more things I could do - cheesy and not so much, but just for today I will do what I can.  I hope you have your own list going to bring light into darkness. 

And if your own darkness is too much to bare and you cannot give back, please stop and get help.  If you are hurting so much that the pain won't allow you to find light in the darkness, know that there is always hope. 

xo my friends.