Her name was Faithful. Faithful Angel. A lovely and delicate, glowing china figurine, she illuminated the darkness of our bedroom at night, sitting on the small table between our two beds. Faithfully. Mercifully. She kept the fears of two little girls at bay each night. We adored her.
Each evening as the sun drifted below the horizon, she gently lit the passage way to peaceful slumber. Days and weeks passed and it became apparent we could not go to sleep without her. Our precious, twinkling night-light had become a necessity. No more sleeping in strange and unfamiliar dark rooms for us. Vacations, trips to visit family, moves to new houses – Faithful Angel was packed up carefully and transported along with the rest of our belongings. always.
And then there was the fateful day. I don’t recall how it all came about. I just remember sadness. terrible sadness. Faithful Angel fell to the floor from the bed side table and her little angel body broke into pieces. Great big tears slipped down the cheeks of two devastated little girls. My sister and I did not know what to do without her. Certainly there would be no rest.
unless…
My mother, the Operating Room nurse, used her vast array of skills to do surgery on our precious angel. She put Faithful back together again, carefully, with a steady hand. By bedtime, there Faithful Angel sat between the heads of our beds, in one piece. It seems like she had a new hole in the top of her head as a result of the trauma, but she still worked quite well. Thank goodness for the warm glow of our Faithful Angel.
How little did I know back then! It was just a foretaste of adulthood for me. Continually, days and nights pass, darkness and light – and now, more than ever I am grateful for The Light that accompanies me on this journey. My Savior, Jesus, the light of the world, the morning star; He is my companion when I walk through the shadows of night. His light brings comfort and peace, sweetly shining for all who call Him Lord. And the deeper the darkness, the brighter His light shines.
from John 8:
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
His words remind me of a hymn we used to sing in sunday school:
The Light of the World is Jesus
The whole world was lost
In the darkness of sin,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Like sunshine at noonday,
His glory shone in.
The Light of the world is Jesus!Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me.
Once I was blind, but now I can see:
The Light of the world is Jesus!No darkness have we
Who in Jesus abide;
The Light of the world is Jesus!
We walk in the light
When we follow our Guide!
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Heavenly Father, Thank you for this blessed gift of light, in the life of your son Jesus. How faithfully He shines for all who are walking this dark earth. May I never walk without Him! amen.
This post is dedicated to my mom, Rose Young, who taught me to look for the true Light of the World, Jesus Christ. Thank you, mom.
My mom, A.K.A “Nanny,” with my three children, Mackenzie, Isaac and Emily. 9/26/11
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