RIVER WATCHER

LIGHTS OF THE WORLD

Rex Burress

As I fumbled for the little flashlight Ben gave me several years ago, and flashed it on the microwave panel to heat my morning coffee rather than turn on the blinding overhead, I thought of the small flashlight Uncle Cecil Kincade gave me for highschool graduation 63-years-ago.

At the time I thought what a strange gift, but of all the gifts I got, that flashlight is the only gift I remember. I had it in my suitcase when I traveled west, and it may still be around in some of the overflow drawers full of all kinds of lighting devices!

In any event, light is one of the greatest gifts in life! Whether it is a two-cell, or a spiritual light within, or a visible light to illuminate reality for us, light leads the way. Without the wondrous glow of daylight, I would be unable to see the scrub jay dashing into the riverside thickets, nor the cliff swallows skimming the water's surface, and certainly not the dragonflies that cruise the river corridor in summer.

Whatever you think about the creation of light, it's difficult to get-by the biblical passage of God creating light. “Let there be light,” and there was light. That is simplifying a very complex issue, but it is quite evident that somehow light emerged from the darkness of the Dark Ages about 13.1 billion years ago it is theorized, and galactic islands in the Universe have become increasingly brighter and larger ever since, according to an article, “Astronomers find farthest galaxy,” published May 6, 2015.

'Lightly' speaking, “there was nothing, and God said 'let there be light,' and there was light. There was still nothing but you could see it a whole lot better,” so spoke Ellen DeGeneres. Arlo Guthrie chipped in with “You can't have light without a dark to stick it in.”

Thus when the sun rises you can see things better. But darkness hangs around in the form of shadows as the sun strikes opaque objects, illuminating one side as we see displayed in the various phases of the moon shadows, and darkening on the other side depending on dark dilution.

The redeeming factors that spreads light on Earth are reflections from things as simple as dust that is sufficient to disperse light into the shadow side, and, of course, mankind has devised methods to force light into the dark side. Flash lights, electronic camera flash as in photography, electric generators and shiny reflectors spread light around. The darkest things you will find in the woodlands are caves and cavities.

A hole in a tree stands out vividly-black in the forest, and home-seeking animals are easily drawn to such cavities, especially nesting flycatchers, bluebirds, and tree swallows. Squirrels, owls, and various fur-bearing animals also seek the shadowy shelters.

Light, and the quality of light, is vital for photography and painting pictures. I was doubly reminded of this when I saw some stunning pictures of lighthouses in storms with gigantic waves breaking over the helpless structures. Now I'm inclined to do an art series on lighthouses.

It's not only the gallantry of the staunch structure standing in a shaft of light amid fierce waves, but it is the beam of light the lighthouse sends to the seas, warning ships of dangerous reefs. It is a light of the human race, sending an artificial ray of hope forth for reassurance of social unity and to save the lives of fellow people.

My ministerial brother-in-law Zip Zediker once collected old lamps, considering them to be a spiritual symbol of a “light unto thy feet,” and a hope in the darkness of life. Thus it was like that on the farm before electricity when the kerosene lamp was a light in the night.

Light-making production is at a minimum in the nature world, but there are a few animals and plants that can create light in their bodies. Fireflies in Missouri summer meadows comes to mind. The insect's chemical lights flash on and off like alternating electrical current as children chase them in the evening. There is the eerie glow of luminescent mushrooms and soil-organisms, as well as light-producing creatures deep in the sea, but most animals find their way in the dark with the help of superior eyes, ears, and noses.

“I will love the light for it shows me the way,

yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.”

--Og Mandino

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

--Vincent Van Gogh

“Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.” --Walt Whitman