Article December 22, 2003 Issue

'One lone, brave star'

By Richard Bergenheim

A number of years ago I stayed for a couple of weeks in a house on a small island called Salt Cay in the West Indies. Every evening the electricity went off around 8 o'clock. The cottage I was renting was in a secluded area outside of town. The first really cloudy night, I learned how dark, dark is. Dark is when you really can't see your hand in front of your face. I couldn't see anything at all. I was grateful for the large candle on the living-room table.

Later that night after walking along the beach with a flashlight, I turned it off and looked back at the house. The candlelight from the house could be seen clearly. I remember thinking, "An entire hemisphere of darkness can't dim that light one bit. In fact, the darker it is, the sharper the light. All the power is with the light."

That simple thought has had spiritual power in my life ever since.