DARKNESS: THE PATH TO BEAUTY

Sheep on a visit to Capriland's Herb Farm, Coventry, Ct (2012)

DARKNESS: THE PATH TO BEAUTY
"The pain experienced in darkness often stimulates the creation of works of beauty." 

I begin this blog with a very honest beginning that led me to where I am today.

Father Anthony likens the state of darkness with melancholy.  "Melancholy embodies multiple emotions, including sorrow, anger, and depression." (p. 99)  I was doing precisely what he described in the book - "running away from the darkness and creating a facade for the outside world." (p. 100) I felt myself withdrawing from my life because I felt sad and hopeless.

My state of melancholy began three years ago when my son made a decision to limit my relationship with my only grandchildren.  I was heartbroken.  Everything we knew about being loving grandparents and parents was suddenly ripped from my life.  I felt abandon by a son I loved and adored.  So sad that my grandsons would never have the experience of memories with their grandparents. The darkness was so thick I couldn't see the light.

Father Anthony came to the rescue in a manner of speaking when he wrote about navigating a dark night.  "Accept life on life's terms.  To the degree that you accept the experience of the moment, you will find great peace.  This requires a radical faith that can accept that God is working in the moment even when he seems to be absent." ( p. 109 )  That was it.  That was what I needed to see the light.

So my journey begins.  With Father Anthony's question  - "For every decision and dilemma that you face, Which choice will deepen my relationship with God and make me a more loving human being?" ( 109)

 SMILE, SAY LESS, AND LISTEN MORE, PRAY, AND TRUST
Matthew Kelly
A Call To Joy