The hunger, the longing, and the light

"Our hearts shine in the same way as the fireflies, with the same light as the sun and the moon.  Within us is a secret longing to remember this light, to step out of time, to feel our true place in this dancing world.  It's where we began and where we return."
  -- Jack Kornfield, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry

This particular Kornfield book has been sitting on my shelf, unread, for years.  I remember buying it because it was recommended to me, and because I loved the title (so like my life!) but I was never able to get into it.

But when I finished with 365 Nirvana, I went to my bookshelf, planning to reread one of my favorite inspirational texts, and found this one jumping out at me.  And as I read, I can't quite see why I never got into it before; it seems perfect for where I am now.

So much of life seems to be about timing and readiness, doesn't it?  So many things seem to happen that we only come to understand years later; so many people cross our paths with gifts we only learn to unwrap years after they have passed on...

But that light that shines in our hearts seems to have a way of persisting, even through the darkest of nights, and then, suddenly, when we least expect it, it seems to sparkle forth again...

In a way, I think, that's what Advent is all about: sitting in the darkness, waiting and trusting that somehow the light is still there, and will return.  And I find it very amusing that, without my even being aware of it, the Advent consciousness is seeping into my reading, my photo choices, and my thoughts.  Is it years of programming?  Or is it just the natural cycle of events; that as the days grow shorter and shorter we find ourselves hungering for the light?

I'm not sure what the answer is, but then -- I'm not sure it really matters.  What matters is the hunger, and the longing... and the light.