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The Waning Light


 

There are times I dread the waning light of day,

That golden hour which precedes the night.

The night brings sad memories.

The night brings old terrors.

The night brings lonely hours,

Sleepless hours,

Blackness filled with sorrow.

The darkness carries the quiet, the quiet commands the truth.

The night accentuates my aloneness; it echoes my fears.

The darkness makes me yearn for my children and for my loved ones long gone.

The night plays a melancholy tune in my head.

The night makes me yearn for the light of day when everything is new once again.

                                                                                ~ Author: Debi Tolbert Duggar

 

As a child I was terrified of the darkness;  the unknown night terrors outside my window or waking up in the middle of the night in a darkened room. I suppose there are any number of psychological explanations for that, most of which I have examined.


As I've aged, I still fear the darkness. Intellectually I realize there is no boogey man; it is the ticking of the clock, the end of another day which forces me to recognize 'what have you done with this day?' I hear the lyrics to the song  'Time,' by Pink Floyd: 


Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day

Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.

I think the last four months of a global pandemic has probably had an adverse psychological effect on most people - whether we want to admit it or not. Many lives have been disrupted. Many have lost loved ones. Many fear the darkness. Add to that, an alarming lack of leadership, a revolution in the streets, crazy conspiracy theories, and the assault of social media. 

I'm in awe of the people who can wake up everyday and preach a positive attitude, seemingly oblivious to the world around them. Not everyday is unicorns and lollipops. "If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention." I've been outraged for the better part of four years now. My fear of the darkness translates to my fear of the unknown, which in turn leaves my soul in darkness. And if you know me, or have read my book 'Riding Soul-O,' you know I'm all about the care and nurturing of the soul. 

If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness. ~ Victor Hugo

It is the darkness, the waning light, that has descended on our country. I pray for the light of a new day for us all.

Debi Tolbert Duggar, Author 'Riding Soul-O'
Part Memoir, Part Travelogue, Part Spiritual Salvation
Available at Bessieandme.com and online wherever books are sold 

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