A light in the darkness

Probably not the best thing to share before going to bed, but this is going to be one of those not so inspirational or light-hearted posts...however it's what's on my mind right now...

So I recommend you stop reading this right now, unless you're up for it. The video's less than 7 minutes. And if you're already familiar with this story (which is only my own, as I can't speak for the rest of my family), thank you for having listened in the past. I'm only sharing again, because, as I was reminded tonight, not all of my friends have necessarily heard it yet. And I don't share it that often...

Three years ago, the Monday after Thanksgiving '10, I had little idea that I would wake up to what was one of the darkest days of my life, if not THE darkest one.

And I share this, because for many of us the holidays can sometimes be a bit of a mix of emotions, especially when tragedy and loss are involved and memories are heightened because they've occurred during times which were supposed to be joyous and celebratory.

So I share this in part to say thank you, because if you are seeing this (I set the privacy setting for this post to "Friends" instead of my usual "Public"), whether we've known each other for a moment or what might feel like a lifetime, you've been one more light in the darkness, one more reason to be thankful to be a part of each others' lives, one more person who has helped me understand and value friendship, family, and community, one more individual who makes me look forward to the next day because of the one we first met or last saw each other.

The other part? As much as each day might seem like just another day, take some extra time and energy to appreciate the ones you love during the winter. And I know I'm preaching to the choir. But I just say it anyway, because the daytime in this hemisphere is still getting shorter, at least for another 2 1/2 weeks. And some of us don't deal as well as others, with the change of seasons...usually without even knowing it.

And it takes surprisingly little, in ways you might not even realize, to be a light in someone else's darkness. <3 .="" p="">

JR Russ tells true story at SpeakeasyDC - June 2012 from SpeakeasyDC on Vimeo.


Thank you for taking the time to check this post out. Let me know what you think in the comments,

JR