The Light We Seek is Within Us

By now, you may have seen the speech "The Hill We Climb" by Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman on Inauguration Day. While I did not see it live, I was made aware of it through many posts on social media that drove me to watch a replay of it last night.

After listening to her delivery, I sat in silence, so moved by her words that I literally could not find my own to describe the message in her poem. After reflecting on it for a few minutes, my first action was to text a link to my teenage daughter with the words "please watch this today." Later that evening, I watched it again with my wife and found myself even more inspired and filled with hope than after the first viewing.

What Ms. Gorman expressed is her message has so many layers, it would take more than a simple blog to unpack all of it and I hesitate to even try for I'm not sure I could do it justice. Every now and then, someone comes along who is filled with so much light, we can't help but be drawn to it for reasons that are hard to explain why.

 

There's something about these beacons that cause us to draw energy from them in a way that lifts us up, gives us hope and inspires us to do better – for ourselves, our children, our community and our world. Truth be told, this light is all around us each day and yet sometimes we are not able to see it. Amanda's message served as a reminder that it is up to us to not just look for it, but rather to be the light.

 

In a world that can sometimes feel like it is wrapped in darkness, her message written with 723 words – such well-chosen and thoughtful words - provided a view into the opportunity before us. As she described: "And so, we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us."

 

Reflecting on my own journey, I find myself striving to make this world a better place through work in my community, as a foster parent, charitable giving and work with non-profits … and yet I feel compelled that it is not enough.

 

There is more to be done and seeds of hope yet to be sown for I've come to realize joy comes not from seeking to fulfill my own self-interests, but rather in lifting up those around me. As I was told by a good friend recently, "you'll find the greatest amount of happiness comes when your heart is truly given to helping others."

 

May we go forth with a commitment to serve our friends, family, neighbors and community in own way, for no act of kindness, however small, is wasted. As we look forward to a new year, let us also take time to realize how far we've come, but also accept there is still unfinished work to be done.

 

Thank you Amanda Gorman for the letting us know we all remain a work in progress and reminding us the light we seek is within us – if we are brave enough to be it.