I woke up early this morning to see Lisa off to work. She’s working in Hospice today. She suggested when I meditated this morning I should look out the window at that scene. The full moon is shining over the ice of the river, the lights from the opposite shore reflect, and the wispy clouds make their way across the face of the moon. Even stars twinkle in the cold dark sky. I took her advice. Beautiful. Of course, I had to take the photograph that you see above.

There is something many people have that I would call hope, or trust, or resilience. Incredibly, some people I know with the most horrific upbringings and religious abuse possess what it takes to make it through the night until morning. Somehow, deep within themselves resides a desire and even an assurance that they are going to be okay, and that they are going to make it, and we can watch the progress.

Some people have told me it is naive to trust or have hope because for some people sometimes help never comes and they just die in their suffering. I respond respectfully, humbly, and sometimes with a healthy fear: “I’d rather die with trust than without it.”

Are you in a dark night right now? Are you waiting for morning?

Is there any beauty at all to be noticed and enjoyed to help you get there?