Light in the Darkness

Hello, everyone. I take it you've heard the news.

I spent the weekend listening to the LDS General Conference, which was full of so much light and joy and goodness and love that coming back to regular life is always an adjustment, but even more so today with the news about the senselessness of the Las Vegas shooting. It's always described like that: senseless. Without sense. And it is. It always is. It defies sense to wreak such horror on other human beings.

It's hard, seeing the darkness in the world and feeling like there's nothing I can do to stop it. I want to; I'm not one to be content doing nothing. I believe that if you really care, you should act on that care. But, sometimes, due to finances and distance, hoping and praying are all you can do, even if you want to do more. So I'll start with that.

It's times like this that make me think of Sam's speech in The Two Towers. "How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened?" But the speech continues with, "But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer." I do have hope in a brighter future.

That said, I also believe in the small lights in the darkness that are still around us. Such terror and tragedy make the news, and I'm not trying to ignore them or say that they're not important to recognize and fight. But there are also smaller, quieter victories that rarely get attention, that perhaps do quite a bit to push back the darkness. I've been hoping to do a post like this for a while, and this seems to be the right time.

Here are some recent stories about tiny lights in the darkness:

LOCAL HEROES: HUSBAND & WIFE RESCUED BURN VICTIMS IN SUNDAY'S BOAT EXPLOSION

"As thick, black smoke billowed around the dock, the Leightys realized they had to do something. Thrust into a horrible situation, they helped to rescue two injured people from the boat. Looking back, the husband and wife know they were there for a reason."

THROUGH THE STORM: FAITH GROUPS HELPING OTHERS IN IRMA'S AFTERMATH

"As Hurricane Irma bore its fury down on the state of Florida, faith-based groups in Brevard County and across the state like New Shiloh Christian Center were ready to shelter the poor until the storm passed, and then feed and help the needy."

ROGERS MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS HONORED AS LOCAL HEROES

"Three students at Rogers Middle School in the Affton School District were recently honored by the city and county as local heroes after coming to the rescue of their ailing bus driver on the way home from school."  

THESE HEROES ARE HELPING ANIMALS IN AREAS DEVASTATED BY HURRICANES IRMA AND MARIA

"Our disaster response teams are in Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts, St. Maarten and Turks and Caicos working hard to feed, rescue, and deliver medical care to desperate animals affected by Irma. As Hurricane Maria approached earlier this week, our teams had to seek shelter and unfortunately wait out the storm before resuming their work."

LA GRANGE TEENAGER'S 12th ANNUAL FUN FEST BENEFITS CHILDREN FIGHTING CANCER

"For 11 consecutive years, La Grange teenager Crofton Kelly provided a generous helping hand to kids with cancer by organizing, implementing and coordinating a local tennis tournament designed to raise funds to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation."

A MAGICAL CHARITY MAKES DISNEY PRINCESS WIGS FOR KIDS WITH CANCER

"In case you need proof of some good in the world, look no further than Alaska: There, two women oversee The Magic Yarn Project, a nonprofit that creates yarn wigs for children diagnosed with cancer. Since the project — which recently celebrated its second anniversary — was launched in fall of 2015, more than 3,000 volunteers have made nearly 4,000 character-themed wigs for children in 29 countries."

'AWESOME' TIMES THREE: A KID MEETS A LOCAL HERO

"This brings me to my not-so-humblebrag of the week! Last week, we got to introduce our babies to an actual, real live hero -- the legendary Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County! Hrabowski, if you don’t know, has been the head of the university for nearly 25 years, and in his tenure has elevated the tiny institution from relative obscurity to national prominence."

I'll stop there, although I found many, many examples of local people doing good for those around them. In times of so much bad, I'm comforted and encouraged by stories of people being heroes in their own, small ways, bringing a little light to others. They make me want to do what I can, as little as that might be, whether to help issues that get national or international attention, or more local problems.

To end, then, here are two more links that might inspire more heroism:

How to Help After the Las Vegas Shooting

How You Can Help Hurricane Victims in Puerto Rico

And here are this week's debuts:

Middle Grade:
Amanda Hosch - Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules for Spying (10/1)
Supriya Kelkar - Ahimsa (10/2)
Jake Burt - Greetings from Witness Protection (10/3)
Karina Glaser - The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (10/3)
Jodi Kendall - The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City (10/3)

Young Adult:
Hope Cook - House of Ash (9/27)
Gwen C. Katz - Among the Red Stars (10/3)
Marit Weisenberg - Select (10/3)