a true light flight plan

My flight plan (recently I’ve been writing about sense of Mission) tells me to be useful, to respect that darkness exists, so that light feels true.

Lately, it sure feels like my efforts are drops in a massive bucket. Maybe you feel that way too.

You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever had anyone be falsely positive when you are hurting. Fake light feels like, “Come on snap out of it, put it behind you.” True light feels like, “I’m here, let me walk through this darkness with you until we find some light.”

Let’s do our best to walk through darkness with each other, that creates true light. At age 16, I first experienced that with another teenager, when I shared my life story for the first time. I’ll tell you more some time.

Usually when people first consider having a mission or vision statement, there’s a sense of, “With all I have to do, how do I have the time to sit and create a statement?….I have to get to work! There’s much to be done!” However as Ginny’s statement suggests (in a previous post), having the sense of mission first creates energy and focus which makes “work” feel like play. So that’s some of the light.

However today my heart aches ofver the darkness in the world. The research for my my novel about the generational aftermath for families whose family survived WWII Japanese Concentration Camps in the Pacific leads me to many accuonts of brutality.

The rallying cry since World War II was “Never again.”

But agains happen all the time.

Sunday, a dear friend’s grand-nephew died in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, the news was full of a 13 year old Hamza who was captured, tortured and killed by Syrian forces  for participating in a pro-liberation demonstration.  They returned his mutilated body to his family. There were images, I couldn’t handle them. I know this boy never intended to handle the brutality and excruciating pain.

I told my husband, he wanted to go get the perpetrators of this crime, over and over again. I did too.

We all struggle with a mission that often has us doing a little, in the midst of so much lack, or so much disease, or so much evil. Yet each person keeps going. This child-like looking teenage boy woke up an international community with his unplanned torture and sacrifice.

Even though it saddens me (beyond words) when the survivors of WWII brutality, and other war brutality tell their story, I know it creates light, a way out, a reminder, to strive to be part of …Never Again.

What are your Never Again vows? What is your story?

“Every man is more than just himself; he also represents the unique, the very special and always significant and remarkable point at which the world’s phenomena intersect, only once in this way, and never again” Herman Hesse

“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.” Nelson Mandela

Psalm 23: 1-4

A psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.