Finding light in the darkness

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” —Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

This quote always comes to me when I am in a dark place. As a “Potter Head” and self-proclaimed fan girl of the franchise, there are many more inspirational quotes from the franchise which I could mention this week. Putting aside the authors own comments on trans-gender issues, the books, and movies, has been a safe escape for many people, especially of my own generation, over the years. In light of the current energy crisis also this quote has now taken on a new meaning for me.

This quote means so much to me, that I even got this inscribed on a bracelet for my maid of honour, another Potter Head, when I got married, during lockdown. I have never seen her be emotional about anything, but when she opened and read the words I could see that it had an impact on her.

With the festive season approaching, and the change of seasons, many may not be finding themselves in much of a celebratory mood, worrying about what Santa will bring, worrying about the additional costs of running the Christmas lights, darks nights setting in and the worry of putting on the heating.

During these dark (literally) and uncertain times, I can be easy to sit in the darkness and worry about what is to come. I have spoken to people who are limiting their own energy usage so that they can afford to turn on the Christmas lights in the next couple of weeks so that their children do not miss out on the magic of Christmas. I have spoken to people who are sitting in the cold in their homes, these people already have pre-existing medical conditions which make the breathing in of cold air dangerous, but they are scared of the bill which will arrive in January.

You may have heard that some public places, such as libraries, community centres, and churches/faith centres are opening their doors as “warm hubs”. Some of these warms hubs have arranged to have council representatives available, or benefits advisors, so that free advice may be given. Some are also providing free tea and coffee, and other refreshments, to people who attend the warm hubs. I reach out to you, if you are worried about heating your home, or you are lonely, please come to these warm hubs.

You can find your local warm hub here: Find a Warm Welcome Space Today you can also look on your local council’s government page for more locations, more are added weekly.

If you do not connect to the quote above, then I have one more quote with words of wisdom from Albus Dumbledore “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” —, Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone.

As hard as times may seem, it is important to look for the light in the world. This light will shine from within and will help to overcome darkness, even if that seems impossible at times.

To end my thoughts for this week, with the risk of sounding like a broken record and repeating myself, you are not alone. If you’re feeling that your light is a bit dimmer than you want it to be at the moment, or that things are a bit too overwhelming and out of control and you’d like to talk to a chaplain, you are very welcome to email info@mitechaplaincy.com to request a call-back from a local chaplain. We also have a range of resources on our own web-site https://mite.org.uk 

Wishing you all the light and warmth that I can

Laura Hutcheon

*Also posted on Birchwood Parklife

Image by Callum Shaw on unsplash.com

Full link for warm hubs: https://www.warmwelcome.uk/#find-a-space

Link for Sefton Warm Hubs: Sefton Warm Spaces | Sefton CVS

Link for St Helens Warm Hubs: Warm Spaces - keeping St Helens warm this winter - St Helens Borough Council

Link for Liverpool Warm Hubs: Where to find Warm Hubs in Liverpool and Merseyside - Liverpool Echo

Link for Warrington Warm Hubs: Where can you keep warm in Warrington this winter? | Warrington Guardian