The Beacons Aren't Home Yet

Sometimes I wander down to the park at dusk, and gaze across the river.  Perched on my hilltop, the tower lights far away greet me from theirs through the gathering twilight and murky soup of blues and purples.  Blink.......Blink....Blink.  "Hmm, I bet that one is why it's called 'Beacon Hill'" I wondered to myself one evening.  Beacons...we are all beacons in our own way.

The holidays are here, and I was putting up the lights on the "Beacon Tree" for the Kindness Exchange.  (www.Joshurban.com/kindness)  This time of year brings such a mix of emotions to everyone, and always makes me think of the beacons.  Sometimes we all need to find our way home.  I know I've felt in the past that I needed to reach "home" (metaphorically speaking) before I could help others do the same.  Putting up the lights on the tree this year, I realized something:

The beacons aren't home yet, but they're still lit.  

They're right in the middle of the rocky coasts, the driving rain, the monotony of a stoplight at a suburban intersection.  Yet, shine on they do.

I'm going to do my best to start shining right where I am, every moment, especially if I feel like I'm lost in the darkness.  I'll try to help you find home.  And maybe that will light my way, too.

Shine on!

- Josh

PS.  If you haven't, check out The Kindness Exchange for an easy way to connect with others who are trying the same.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/KindnessExchange/