The Arrival of the Light
Illustration
Stories
Tom sat on the porch looking out over the snow covering the front yard. Marg always loved this time of year and the quiet of winter. He used to tease her because she loved the snow and the long nights of winter. She would always give that quirky smile of hers and say, “The long night makes the dawn that much more glorious.”
Tom wiped away the tear from his cheek. He missed Marg with all his heart. He wished she was here beside him but knew that she was in a better place. The cancer had been so painful and difficult that he was relieved when she went to sleep and never woke up. He was glad she wasn’t suffering any more but that didn’t change the fact that his heart was broken.
He took a sip of his coffee and looked out at the darkness. He could see the outlines of the road and the tree but not much else. Everything was dull and gray much like his life. He hadn’t really felt much joy since Marg died. People had been good to him and the kids had checked in regularly but he felt empty inside. How could he feel anything else now that he was alone? The wetness of his cheeks grew.
A bit of movement in the tree caught his attention and Tom looked intently. There was a shape he could make out just near the top. He kept watching and sure enough there was something there but for the life of him he couldn’t make out what it was. He wasn’t sure if it was a squirrel or a bird but the branch was definitely moving. Tom put his coffee down and reached for the binoculars that Marg kept in the drawer for birdwatching. He focused on the tree and zoomed in. There was definitely a bird sitting in the tree. He didn’t know what it was because all he could see was the outline but it was there sitting as if it was waiting for something. He put the binoculars down and picked up his coffee again.
The kids said they were coming and he knew he should probably tidy up, but looking around Tom didn’t really have the energy to do much more than sit. They would just have to take him as he was when they got there. He noticed that the tree was a little clearer and the outside a bit brighter. He looked up and saw the sun start to rise over the hills in the distance and then, all at once, everything changed.
The bird in the tree started singing. The song was clear and strong and before long other birds began to answer. Tom looked out at the one he had seen in the binocular standing at the end of a branch singing for all it was worth as the sun broke forth and the shadows and gloom he had been sitting in disappeared. He took in the sights and the sounds of the morning and knew in an instant why Marg had loved this time of year and time of day. Tom looked over at her picture on the wall and saw the cross stitch that she had been working on before she got sick. Inscribed on it was the verse from Isaiah 60 “Arise, shine for your light has come.”
Marg had always been the one with the deep faith. It wasn’t that Tom didn’t believe, he certainly did. It is just that when she got sick he found it harder and harder to reach out to God. Tom was angry that she got sick and brokenhearted when she died. Tom took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
He prayed as he hadn’t prayed since Marg got sick and the tears flew freely down his cheeks. He felt a warmth embrace him as he expressed his pain his grief, his heartache. He prayed for his kids traveling to see him and all the memories of the things they had said and done for him during Marg’s illness and after her death surrounded him.
After he finished praying, Tom sat in the morning sun surrounded by the sounds of the birds and the sight of everything coming alive around him. He looked down at the empty cup of coffee and around at the untidy room. He needed to get ready for the kids and he got up and began to tidy and clean. As he did that, Tom began to feel excited that they were coming. He couldn’t wait to hear the sounds of their laughter and conversation around him and to hear what was happening in their lives. Tom found himself smiling in the morning light as he worked to get ready to welcome them back into his life.
*****************************************
StoryShare, January 6, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Tom wiped away the tear from his cheek. He missed Marg with all his heart. He wished she was here beside him but knew that she was in a better place. The cancer had been so painful and difficult that he was relieved when she went to sleep and never woke up. He was glad she wasn’t suffering any more but that didn’t change the fact that his heart was broken.
He took a sip of his coffee and looked out at the darkness. He could see the outlines of the road and the tree but not much else. Everything was dull and gray much like his life. He hadn’t really felt much joy since Marg died. People had been good to him and the kids had checked in regularly but he felt empty inside. How could he feel anything else now that he was alone? The wetness of his cheeks grew.
A bit of movement in the tree caught his attention and Tom looked intently. There was a shape he could make out just near the top. He kept watching and sure enough there was something there but for the life of him he couldn’t make out what it was. He wasn’t sure if it was a squirrel or a bird but the branch was definitely moving. Tom put his coffee down and reached for the binoculars that Marg kept in the drawer for birdwatching. He focused on the tree and zoomed in. There was definitely a bird sitting in the tree. He didn’t know what it was because all he could see was the outline but it was there sitting as if it was waiting for something. He put the binoculars down and picked up his coffee again.
The kids said they were coming and he knew he should probably tidy up, but looking around Tom didn’t really have the energy to do much more than sit. They would just have to take him as he was when they got there. He noticed that the tree was a little clearer and the outside a bit brighter. He looked up and saw the sun start to rise over the hills in the distance and then, all at once, everything changed.
The bird in the tree started singing. The song was clear and strong and before long other birds began to answer. Tom looked out at the one he had seen in the binocular standing at the end of a branch singing for all it was worth as the sun broke forth and the shadows and gloom he had been sitting in disappeared. He took in the sights and the sounds of the morning and knew in an instant why Marg had loved this time of year and time of day. Tom looked over at her picture on the wall and saw the cross stitch that she had been working on before she got sick. Inscribed on it was the verse from Isaiah 60 “Arise, shine for your light has come.”
Marg had always been the one with the deep faith. It wasn’t that Tom didn’t believe, he certainly did. It is just that when she got sick he found it harder and harder to reach out to God. Tom was angry that she got sick and brokenhearted when she died. Tom took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
He prayed as he hadn’t prayed since Marg got sick and the tears flew freely down his cheeks. He felt a warmth embrace him as he expressed his pain his grief, his heartache. He prayed for his kids traveling to see him and all the memories of the things they had said and done for him during Marg’s illness and after her death surrounded him.
After he finished praying, Tom sat in the morning sun surrounded by the sounds of the birds and the sight of everything coming alive around him. He looked down at the empty cup of coffee and around at the untidy room. He needed to get ready for the kids and he got up and began to tidy and clean. As he did that, Tom began to feel excited that they were coming. He couldn’t wait to hear the sounds of their laughter and conversation around him and to hear what was happening in their lives. Tom found himself smiling in the morning light as he worked to get ready to welcome them back into his life.
*****************************************
StoryShare, January 6, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
