“The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air.”    – Galadriel (The Lord of the Rings)

The world is changed. In a way that none of us has ever experienced before.

Darkness has reached across the globe in a great spreading, swallowing normality, stability, freedoms, and certainties.

We withdraw into the imposed lockdowns and self-quarantines, flabbergasted and aggrieved. We reel, wondering what changes, losses, and troubles the next day will unveil.

Those of us fortunate enough to not be working the front lines of this pandemic, and to not be directly impacted by its horrors, are left only to imagine the additional stresses and sorrows heaped upon the shoulders of those who are, on top of everything else.

But, while it is easy to get swept up in the volatile emotions engulfing both the real and digital, world, this is not the time to leave yourself unanchored and fear-fed.

We are, universally, walking a troubled path, but let it be (and stir with greater resounding) that we walk not alone. We may not be able to walk hand-in-hand (literally!), but, spirit-to-spirit, heart-to-heart, we most certainly can. And that unification is by far the more powerful of the joinings.

We are in the dark of this pandemic, but we are not alone.

You are not alone.

And this darkness will not last.

This darkness is indeed a vast and hungry thing, but it has not devoured what truly matters. The light, the hope, the courage that each of us has burning in our hearts (however small or large the flame, it is there).

My words may be sappy, but I hope you find yourself encouraged by them nonetheless. And I also hope that, in spite of these troubled times, you are inspired to feed the light inside of you, enough to keep yourself aglow in the dark, as well as brighten others whose lights may be in need of a greater strength.

Just as rapidly as this pandemic (and the awful proliferation of fear) has spread, we have the power to spread hope and help.

Please, feel free to share the image-quotes with anyone you feel may be encouraged by them. I put together the quotes for my patrons on Patreon, but felt to share them here, in the hopes they remind you of the importance of keeping your eyes on the light, no matter how deep the darkness surrounding you.

Take courage, stay safe, and keep your hope alight!