The soulful ritual of asking for a word of the year never fails to bring new ways of seeing. What I learn from pondering one word could fill a library of books; synchronicity is my teacher. Last year I wrote, “I trust that the word, as it settles in my heart, will be a guiding light for months to come—challenging, inspiring, and transforming me.”
This ancient spiritual practice invites attentive listening. Around the beginning of December, my word-of-the-year radar activates as I await a word that shimmers with possibility. I had considered peace or hope, as I long for both. While on retreat, images came together into a SoulCollage® card I titled Hope: Rest in the Light.
Perhaps LIGHT I wondered, but I was skeptical it could be the “guiding light” I wrote of, as cliché and overused it is. Light at the end of the tunnel. Light of my life. Out like a light. Come to the light. Go to the light. In light of. See the light. Shed a little light. Taken lightly. Shine your light. Light a fire under your… and so on.
I reflect on the card, listening for the wisdom it holds. It is our journey to carry the light. We are embodied with Christ-light. Rest in the light. Patiently wait. Holding the light is sharing the light. Words and phrases that resonate come together in the following poem.
Hope: Rest in the Light
The Divine dwells within
Safeguard the light
Wait expectantly, keep watch
Shimmer like silver and gold.
Safeguard the light
Angel wings whisper hope
Shimmer like silver and gold
Light-bearer.
Angel wings whisper hope
Wait expectantly, keep watch
Light-bearer
The Divine dwells within.
The circular rhythm of the pantoum poem provides a roadmap for hope. It begins and ends with the reminder that the Divine dwells within me; I am a light-bearer. Knowing there is more to unpack from the card and poem, LIGHT finds a resting place as my 2025 word of the year.
You are the Light
In a recent study of The Interior Castle, written by Teresa of Avila, I was struck with awe by the commentary of the castle as the dwelling place for God. “We are structured in such a way that God lives in his own dwelling place with us, more so than he does in the whole cosmos….We are not merely sparks of God, but God actually lives in us and makes us beautiful by his light.” (The Interior Castle, Study Edition, Kieren Kavanaugh)
Joan Chittister writes, “…we are the stardust of the Creator and we are made to burn and light, to sparkle and shine, to be warmth and fearlessness as tonight fades into all the tomorrows of our lives.” We are made of stardust; we are meant to shine, to bring light, hope, love and courage to those we encounter.
Be the Light
We are born for each other—to reflect the loving-kindness and compassion we have received in our moments of darkness. I will never forget the seemingly small gestures, the gentle wiping of a tear or the squeeze of a hand or encouraging words that helped me glimpse enough light to carry on. We can be the light for others.
To love another is to be present with them in their darkness. “The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love—whether we call it friendship or family or romance—is the work of mirroring each other’s light. Gentle work. Steadfast work. Life-saving work in those moments when shame and sorrow occlude our own light from view, but there is still a clear-eyed loving person to beam it back. In our best moments, we are that person for another,” James Baldwin wrote in Nothing Personal.
Safeguard the Light
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5:14–15) We must safeguard the light, not in the way that it is hidden, but that we treat our interiority with gentleness. Yes, we are light for others, but there are times when we need to hunker down and protect the light from getting blown out, from the toxicities of the world, in harmful relationships or habits.
Trust in the Light
Henry Nouwen writes, “The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark. When we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life and be surprised at how far we go. Let’s rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all shadows away.”
There are plenty of worries and concerns for ourselves and our circle of family and friends—a cancer diagnosis, injuries from a car accident, frustrations of living with dementia, the exhaustion of being a caregiver—not to mention the global environmental, political, and social concerns reported in the 24/7 news stream. There is very little that is guaranteed; our future is always uncertain and we may have little peace until we rest in the light of the present moment.
This is no easy task. Sometimes we feel like we are hanging by a thread, that the darkness may overcome us. It is often the comfort of others that can help us persist through our dark night of the soul. We long for, trust, rest in, await, hold, share, safeguard, and bear the Light.
“There is a light in us that only darkness itself can illuminate. It is the glowing calm that comes over us when we finally surrender to the ultimate truth of creation: that there is a God and we are not it,” Joan Chittister writes. When the news is bad, it is no comfort to remember we are not in control. A daily reflection that comes to my email from Unfolding Light by Steve Garnass-Holmes is full of wisdom:
When News Is Bad
Take seriously your grief.
It is love, stripped bare.
Let it flow through you.
Trust that you are held.
We all are held by the Beloved,
the Broken-Hearted One,
the One who Suffers most Deeply.
Know you are not alone.
Millions bear your sorrow.
Ancestors and even unborn generations
walk with you gratefully.
Seek others who are tenderhearted.
Receive all the grace you can.
In the flesh is best, but even in spirit,
know we are here.
Trust the Goodness.
God has not given up on us.
Through every disaster grace remains.
Refuse to despair.
Choose courage over selfishness,
trust over fear, love over anger.
You do not know the end of grace.
There is much you cannot change,
but bring healing where you can.
We are not promised to be given light,
but to shine with light.
Don't become an enemy of the world
and its brokenness. Stay tender.
Become a source of comfort and joy for others.
Let this purpose bear you through the darkness
and you yourself will become light.
Take courage; trust grace;
stay connected; practice love.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
I hope for hope and I long for peace, but I choose LIGHT because I need it and the world needs it. Katherine May writes that “we have nothing to fear from despair. It is just the dying of an illusion. It is not the end.” Our longing itself, for hope, peace, and light becomes the prayer. And in times of darkness, our purpose is to somehow bear it, looking towards the light. Sometimes shining; sometimes resting in the light, but always we can be the keeper of the flame.
“When there seems little hope, we can long for hope. Where there is turmoil, we can long for peace. We can rest knowing that as winter passes, so too shall our personal winter. In the darkness, we can rest in the light…You may not be able to do much about the great problems of the world which to change the situation you are in, but if you can awaken the eternal beauty and light of your soul, You will bring light wherever you go. The gift of life is given to us for ourselves and also to bring peace, courage, and compassion to others.”-John O’ Donohue, Eternal Echoes
Joan Chittister writes, “Winter is a lesson about the fine art of loss and growth. Its lesson is clear; There is only one way out of struggle and that is by going into its darkness, waiting for the light, and being open to new growth.” With temperatures dipping into the “feels like” -5 degrees and darkening skies by 5:30 pm, wintertime in Nebraska is the perfect literal and metaphorical season of the year to contemplate the many layers of meaning that LIGHT holds.
Words that have chosen me in the last few years:
2017 Mercy
2018 Cushion
2019 You Are Free (I needed more words that year)
2020 Carry On
2021 Truth
2022 Consent
2023 Wonder
2024 Fully
SoulFully You 
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