O God,
As I look back at my life
I see many little pieces of light.
They have given me hope and comfort
in my bleak and weary times.
I thank you for the radiance
Of a dark sky full of stars,
and for the faithful light of dawn
which follows every turn of darkness.
I thank you for loved ones and strangers
whose inner beacons of light
have warmed and welcomed my pain.
I thank you for your Presence in my depths,
protecting, guiding, reassuring, loving.
I thank you for all those life surprises
which sparked a bit of hope in my ashes.
And, yes, I thank you for my darkness
(the unwanted companion I shun and avoid),
because this pushy intruder comes with truth
and reveals my hidden treasures to me.
~Joyce Rupp, Little Pieces of Light: Darkness & Personal Growth