Parable of the Lamp

A neighbor was cleaning out the house nearby where her parents lived till their death.  She offered me a set of lamps for free.  Beautiful clear base, simple white covers.  When I got home, I was delighted to see not only the bulb at the top worked, but an additional switch for the base lit up - warm crystals of light emerged.

my pic of Lilly🌈

Lamps come in all shapes and decor.  To me, simple ones are the best.  Lighting for reading, cooking, keeping me feeling safe.  Whether powered by electricity, oil or battery, the lamp brings me out of the darkness.

How often I have depended on lamps.  I have them in every room.  Desktop ones, tall ones.  All I need to do to feel safe is turn on a lamp.

Darkness can never defeat the light.  We have only to reach out.  Kind of like prayers.  Send out the need and receive.

my pic crystal base lamp 

Recently I was awakened at night by a tornado warning.  The first thing I did was turn on the lamp next to the bed.  Instantly, I could see before me what I had to do (cats into carrier, emergency bag, etc).  Without having the light to guide me, I may have fumbled and stumbled (and easily lose a cat!).  But we were all snug and safe and the danger passed.

We all need light.  Not that darkness is all bad.  It has its place with nighttime creatures, crickets, moonlight and such.  But other kinds of darkness can be cold and cruel.

Remember:   “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”  John 1:5 NIV

Additionally:   “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 NIV

We all need to light the way for one another.       Theresa M

PS -  Where there is darkness, let there be light.~ St. Francis of Assisi

my crystal base lamp with Rumi quote

Parable of the Stone

Everywhere, all over the world, I exist.  I am on the ground at various levels, in the streams, rivers, and oceans, even in your own backyard.  Do you notice me?  I vary in size and shape, often polished and rounded by years of wind and water.  I am but a tiny piece of a large rock.

📷 my pic

Sometimes I am even worshiped, or at least held in high esteem.  I can give comfort and strength; some say I provide wisdom and protection.

Many wear me in costume.  Or set me up in fountains and pathways.  Some even collect me and keep me bottled up in their homes.

Do you know the significance of stones?  Do you see me and feel connected to the earth?  I am so common, perhaps you don’t think of me at all.

There are stones of white that humans have placed on gravesites, beautifully glistening in the sun.  There are cobble-stoned streets for humans to walk upon a path that leads to wherever.  Some people unfortunately have used stones to throw at others to harm and shame them.  How cruel.  We are here for unity, not division.

📷 TimHill on pixabay

One way to throw us around is actually okay.  Skimming stones.  See how many times I can hop up and down on the water’s surface.  Oh, what fun!  Stones and water have a long history, a deep connection.

For what it’s worth, I am here for you.  And only a stone’s throw away.        Theresa M

PS - All stones are rocks, but not all rocks are stones.   Each piece has its own strength and purpose.

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples,” - Mother Teresa

📷 Tove85 on pixabay

Parable of the Clock

Silently I sit, but my hands move.  You know I’m here.  You look over to see what time I’m displaying.  Sometimes you seem anxious, until you get a phone call.  Other times you see me and you get wide-eyed, jump up, run about the house, then abruptly leave.

🎨 my painting "It's About Time"

What did I do?  Aren’t I here for you?  Even without you looking at me I exist.  I steadily move forward (except of course those times you force my hands to move ahead or back an hour - what’s up with that?).

I wonder if you appreciate me at all.  From what I’ve seen, humans only can take so much of me.  They are mortal after all.  Yet I continue on.  Even if this fixture wasn’t here, I am still out there. 

I sometimes dream of leaving.  My second and hour hands break through this glass and run off together, making time go by so fast, we do.

🎨 Riina Maido, Finland

All of life depends on time to move forward.  But this clock in itself is not time.  It’s a container - it moves, it quickens, it shuts down, it even breaks.  You humans are like these containers - we both are time capsules.  But with or without this capsule, time lives on, infinitely.  Knowing that, do you get wide-eyed, jump up, run around the house and suddenly feel like you may soon have to leave?

I guess my alarm just went off.       Theresa M.

PS - Hmmm… we are time capsules.  We each only hold so much of it.  Floating along till our capsule dissolves.

📷 annacapictures on pixabay