The Lighted Life

“May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” 
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

It has been rainy here lately, and it was a day in which it was difficult to find the sun. I found myself by the lily pond in the rain again; the weather cannot keep me away. You might be surprised how much fun it can be to take pictures when it's dripping - not a downpour, of course - just a gentle summer rain.

When you go out taking pictures in the rain, make all necessary precautions to keep the camera dry, of course. But you will be rewarded for your efforts because the things that you see every day will be transformed. They look different, and shinier, and they are covered in water droplets. The color saturation is different, as is the way the light filters through the wet things.

I have been thinking lately about all of the good reasons for living. And I've been thinking about Blip, and why I like it, and how it has changed me. And I have been thinking about my life, and those I love, and my future plans. Those kinds of thoughts. Big things.

I was thinking about how I have spent the past few years; and looking back, I realize how much photography now figures into my daily life in a way it never did before. Blip has taught me that you are only as good as your last photograph. And that each day brings a new opportunity to go out and see (and bag, and bring back!) something beautiful. You might even take that as a personal challenge; I know I do.

I find myself stalking the light in a way I never did before. You can often find me waiting at the edges of the morning, watching the light fill the sky. The light is what gives meaning to our pictures. Without the light, there would be no photos. All would be darkness. The void.

It is both inspiring and challenging, in a way, this chance each day to begin anew; to prove yourself each time. You never know what adventures a day will bring. Will it bring bugs hopping on the camera lens? Dancing bunnies? Water droplets in the rain? If I ever needed to find a reason to live, I would look back at these pages and remember several hundred of them; I've stored some of my best moments here.

As I was crouching over the lily pond in the rain, I suddenly realized the rain was stopping. Not for good, as it turns out; but for a little while. Long enough for some more pictures, even without an umbrella. I folded it up and put it away.

The sky started to brighten and the yellow hearts of the white water lilies nearest me caught the light and shone as though lit from within. You could have sworn somebody very, very small was having a party inside the lilies. You might have thought about fireflies, but it was daytime, so I knew it wasn't them.

And I thought about some people I know who live what I think of as the lighted life. They are filled with a light inside them. Does it shine down from the sky? Does it originate from within them? These are some of the mysteries.

They are people who are full of love and on their lips, love is a VERB, not a noun; it is a way to DO, a way to BE. They are the ones who take care of the forgotten ones the world has left behind. The soup kitchens of the soul. The world warms its cold hands in their pockets on the most frigid winter's mornings, and finds comfort there.

Their light draws people to them; shines on the path ahead; inspires others to go on. I bet you know a few of these people. I am blessed to tell you that I do, too. This Blip celebrates those living the lighted life. Thank you for sharing your light; may it never go out.

The soundtrack is Belinda Carlisle (you may remember her from the wonderful 80s girl group The Go-Go's), with Leave a Light on for Me.