A sneak peek at this week’s column:

The Brightness of Beauty in Natural Light

When I make an effort to see more light around me I feel lighter; life brightens up a little.I’ve lived near lighthouses.The sound of a foghorn and the rotating beam from the towering prisms illumine a sense of well-being and comfort.Lighthouses are about location, direction, providing consolation that something solid is there to orient our bearings.Maybe, in some sense, we can all be lighthouses for others, and look for beams from other shorelines.

A little light is enough, isn’t it? This isn’t about blinding others with a spectacular light-show.

It’s not a contest or competition.Focus the beam on what good is happening, or turn the dimmer. The great religious and ethical traditions seek to elevate the Good, the Right, the Beautiful, to increase the illumination of the kindled kindness in every person and in life itself.There is value of course in darkness.After all, we all need our sleep.We don’t notice the light of millions of stars without the still beauty of the night.

May your New Year be a little brighter with natural light.