light into darkness

"Beautiful light is born of darkness"  ~ R. Turnbull

I stand under this tree, his hand in mine... we spin ourselves dizzy. It's an Austin tradition, and one I do with thousands of others each year because I secretly hope I can spin my wish into reality. As if a string of bokeh lights can make a single wish come true.

He laughs and I stumble and I lose track of who is adult and who is child.

Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are spinning slowly... tick tock... into the darkness and lengthening of day. Soon we will come to rest softly in the cold of Midwinter; but until we do, we find ourselves with more dark than we know what to do with.

As I think about the upcoming solstice, I think about what it means to stand still and accept the lack of sunlight. I think about the darkness that comes before dinner, the early mornings void of sunshine. I think of hibernation and cups of tea to warm my hands. It makes me seek light, almost where there is none. It makes me step outside my natural light comfort zone.

Where in all of this do you find light? I know it's out there, hiding in the nooks and crannies of shorter days, it's waiting to be discovered by you. Today, share with us what you find and we will be overcome with love by the light created from thin air.  We'll see the future and a world of catchlight through a set of new eyes.  We'll hush the silence that reflects light in the quiet stillness of dark.  We'll count the thousand points of light as if they are trees in a forest.  And we'll gasp in joy at the lights of your city.  

Today, won't you join me in my search for light? Share with us the light that is revealed to you in darkness.

Comments

[Marcie]

What a beautiful post...and stunning image!!! Love the concept of 'embracing' the shorter/darker days..of sitting still and accepting it.
Here's a little light lurking in the dark night alleys:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=998

[Simon Lawrence]

Beautiful words and photograph, well done.

Si

[kosenrufu mama]

lovely picture, thank you for your words, i captures htis red light some days ago.
http://esterdaphne.blogspot.com/2009/12/shoot-albero.html

[Sue Henry]

Love your great image of bokeh lights. Today's post reminded me of a couple of my posts and images:

http://suehenryphotography.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/class-assignment/

http://suehenryphotography.smugmug.com/Photography/Abstract/5583378_jW7pD#741563618_4F7uE-L-LB

[melissa]

Gorgeous image!

[Jena]

Stunning image, Meredith! Thank you for this light.

[Julie Alvarez]

I am on the south, so... I can share the opposite right now.
I like it when little girl is in bed already and the lights outside start to dim giving space to darkness. I like that after a full bright day, because it soothes me, it gives me the opportunity to search for the quiet rich darkness and find the smaller lights to shine within:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/4182496027/

[lifeineden]

While I miss the daylight and sunshine, we still are celebrating light ... a festival of lights. We still like to decorate, so it is white lights and snowflakes for us. http://lifeineden.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/sparkle/

[claudia]

I was looking through some old files for some shots and came across some light and decided to do some layering. http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurohunt/4182524367/

But there is definitely joy in the light there is to be found
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurohunt/4186247189/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurohunt/4186245965/in/set-72157622879222447/

I have to admit though, I am looking forward to just six days from now when we turn the darkness corner back into the light.

[lucy]

I got up early one morning after a week of rainy, dark November weather, to discover the frost glistening in the sun. I ran out barefoot in my pajamas to capture the moment before it vanished.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucyloomis/4154615162/

[Jennifer]

It's my son's 3rd Hanukkah and he's just old enough to appreciate how beautiful a lit menorah is. I'm so glad I was able to capture the moment before it was gone.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/28434357@N02/4185897653/

[traceyclark]

first of all, that shot is awesome!!! second, I am a life-long seeker of light so I feel like it's my own personal challenge to find the glimmer...http://traceyclark.squarespace.com/blog/2009/12/15/little-glimmers.html

[Ange]

Great post and beautiful shot!

Here in Bangkok, there's plenty of light to be found even though it's technically winter. What's surprising though is how they get into the holiday spirit despite being a primarily Buddhist country. Colored lights are everywhere...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nomadic_tendencies/4160577202/

[kristin]

window light this cold winter morning reflected in my snack... the honey helped. :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/4188079898/

[Vanessa]

I found light in the snow and in the sky this weekend.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glitch_nitch/4182049157/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glitch_nitch/4182798458/in/photostream/

shoveling the driveway is sure hard work when you have almost 2 feet of snow, but is sure does get you out of the house and into the light of day. Plus look at Mother Nature's pretty bling that snow becomes!!

[~ kristina ~]

Sunlight is hard to come by in my backyard by late afternoon, but the last photo in this post made me smile - like the leaf just reached out and caught a bit of light from the shadows -

http://meadowlarkdays.blogspot.com/2009/12/magical-surprises.html

[Dannie]

Beautiful post and equally awesome shot! Although I love, love love, the holiday lights and the terrific opportunities to capture the colorful bokeh, I found an image that captures a different light, caught really by accident. This image was taken when I was sure there was no light left. But it's this fading, evening light that makes this image special for me. And as I mention in my post, I love that this little girl is holding a bouquet of wishes!

http://www.honeysweetphotography.com/2009/12/light.html

[bahiehk]

How beautiful.

Interestingly enough I just wrote about embracing darkness in order to find the light on my blog:

http://spreadingdajoy.blogspot.com/2009/12/shut-it-up.html

I didn't find a proper picture to add to it but I look for something from the commenters up there!

cheers, BK

[Trude]

Isn't it tough? Luckily one of the kittens decided to investigate a lamp from his perch on the windowsill :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trudem/4175546444/

[Meg Li]

As a fellow Austinite, I feel even more pressured to head to Zilker to see the lights now - I've never been! Perhaps it's fear of the crowd, but I definitely want to check it out. Lovely photo! <3

[xanthe]

beautiful post and stunning image. i hadn't realised how much i'd missing the light till this morning. when it took my breath away.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xantheberkeley/4188725442/

[spread your wings]

i came home tonight after working until 11;30 pm,, not getting a chance to even go outside into the daylight all day. My daughter came home for the holidays today and i didn't even get to see her - she was in bed by the time I got home, but she left my star light on for me - this gesture was a light of love. it was nice to see her cozy in her bed.
http://spreadingwings08.blogspot.com/2009/12/make-wish.html

[Sara]

Austin! I took similar photos last year when visiting my brother's family, although it was before I started to get the hang of bokeh. This is a great shot! I recognized it right away!

That night, I got a good one of the train in the park. My sister-in-law used to be "engineer" on the train!
http://elliottjournal.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341cc2a653ef01053695d2ad970b-popup

[picturelite]

Beautiful post and Awesome shot!!! Pictures have the ability to adorn your home and add character to it but what adds the required life to your pictures is the lighting. If you want to buy best lights with reasonable prices it’s possible at Perfectpicturelighting.com. Have a look.

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