The Darkness Around Us Is Deep: Solstice and Game Night

On this longest night of the year, I'm packing up games and working on a strategic grocery store run for community game night.

As twilight falls in early afternoon, my mind swims through events from earlier this year (originally written on Twitter).

Let me tell you a love story from last night:

We were running a large board game event raising money for @RileyChildrens. The lights blinked on and off- and some of them failed when a LIVE power line near us went down. We had just started a massive team Wits and Wagers trivia game when the hall plunged into darkness.

A cell phone flashlight flipped on. And then a few more. They swiveled like footlights toward the game boards. As we kept playing, a congregant who had just provided us all dinner filled trays with voitives and stick candles. And soon people were distributing these tiny lights to all the tables. People made jokes about romance.

We kept playing.

Thanks @OgeeEverett, for sharing the picture: https://t.co/25bbqZcwQh

After a long while, the power resumed. I was really relieved that the hall hadn't just emptied out. Everyone was still there buying stuff and donating to @RileyKids. Helping- bringing small lights, sharing illumination.

It was a lot like...

when our daughter was having serious health issues. I felt pretty lost in the dark then. And someone else gave a little light to show the way. Then a few. Then many- each person bringing what they had to contribute or...

amplifying the light of others even when they couldn't produce any themselves. I never had to find a light myself, but could focus on the tasks at hand and continuing life already in progress.

It took me back to the gratitude and community support that is #WhyIExtraLife, #WhyWeExtraLife. In the dark and candlelight, I fell in love with my community all over again. Thanks, friends for being the light and sharing the light of others.

On this long night of winter solstice it is very fitting to be back in the warm illumination of friends and community.

Thank you for being a light in the darkness.

 

 Take a moment on this long, dark night and think of those who bring light into this world.

Thank them if you can.

Love to you all.

***Baby Toolkit is the slapdash writing of a midwestern literature geek who was making a William Stafford reference in the title. Read the whole wonderful poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58264/a-ritual-to-read-to-each-other. I'm an Amazon affiliate- so I profit from purchases made through Amazon links. Yes, this does make me uneasy. This writing is mine (c)babytoolkit.com 2018. Thanks for reading the fine print.