The Dark Times

I had the opportunity to spend a few days at the bottom of the Grand Canyon recently and had a bit of an epiphany.  It was the first night of a five day trip and we had just descended from the giant canyon wall and found a flat rock to sleep on in a desolate, dry, wash. 

As I laid open air on my sleeping bag and gazed into the moonless, starry, heavens, I waited for the last remnants of the sunset to subside and reveal the fullness of the infinite heavens. That's when it occurred to me that  sometimes it is darkness rather than light that helps us see better.  We are always in the presence of the glorious night sky, but are unable to see in the day due to the intensity of the sun.  

Light doesn't always reveal, sometimes it cloaks just as effectively as darkness.  Sometimes in life we need the dark times to see true beauty.  It is in the dark times that the true wonders of the character of people are revealed. Sometimes it is during the night hours of life that we discover the true love of family, friends, or even strangers as they, like the stars, relentlessly pierce through the darkness and explode into our lives as brilliant beacons of hope. 

Yes, they are always there for us, but in the light of day, during the good times, we seldom notice as they are concealed by comfort, quietly, secretly, waiting to reach out to us in our times of need.