Lighthouses are a familiar sight along the ocean, and they’re very much appreciated by the sailor. Lighthouses have saved countless lives over the centuries. A sailor sees warning and safety in the vision of a lighthouse. Those who live on land see the borders of their country in the protective beam of light.
But there are other lights that are just as important as a
lighthouse, maybe more so. In a large
city, there is so much diffused light that the night traveler really doesn’t
have to worry about seeing where he’s going.
It may not be noon for him, but he can see just fine due to millions of
lights producing a kind of semi-daylight.
In the country, this is not so.
Many towns and villages cannot afford to light all their roads or even
their highways. This is the case with Maine. You can be driving for a long time at night
on a major highway and see . . . nothing.
It’s very unnerving.
 |
| An old Maine street lamp. |
For me, there’s a certain comfort and tiny sigh of relief when
I spot an old street lamp. This will
only be in a somewhat populated area and it will not produce nearly the amount
of light that a city light produces, but it is so very welcome, especially in a rain
or snowstorm. When I travel on foot, as
I often do in all kinds of weather, I must carry my own light if I am on an old
country road--no exceptions, as it is impossible to travel without one unless
the moon is full. Walking at night can
be a bit frightening, but when I see an old street lamp, it draws me, reassures
me, and keeps me on the right track. We
don’t have night watchmen anymore, but an old street lamp is like an old
friend, especially if you are cold and weary.
Think, then, of the small lights in your world. Not the neon signs, not the spotlights, not
the floodlights. It is the small light,
the one that flickers, the one you can only just catch a glimpse of from far
away that draws you. It is the tiny
light in a sea of overwhelming darkness that calls and says, “Come. I am here.
I will comfort you. You are not
alone.”
