New Years Post #5...Final Words

The following poem was part of a slideshow that was shown at one of my dad's retirement parties. I fell in love with the words and so now, as 2007 comes to an end and 2008 is only hours away, I'll leave you with these words... have a Happy New Year!

The Presence of Light

We are not saints, we are not heroes.

Our lives are lived in the quiet corners

of the ordinary.

We build tiny hearth fires, sometimes barely

strong enough to give off warmth.

But to the person lost in darkness,

our tiny flame may be the road to safety,

the path to salvation.

It is not given to us to know

who is lost in the darkness that surrounds us

or even if our light is seen.

We can only know that against

even the smallest of lights,

darkness cannot stand.

A sailor lost at sea can be guided home

by a single candle.

A person lost in the wood can be lead to safety

by a flickering flame.

It is not an issue of quality

or intensity

or purity.

It is simple an issue

of the presence of light.