I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
—Isaiah 42:6-7
I
pulled my sunglasses from my beach bag and joined my daughter, Emma, who was
sitting on the edge of the baby pool, keeping an eye on her two-year-old,
Layla. With temperatures in the nineties, it felt good to sink my feet into the
silky liquid. It felt good to be with family, basking in the brightness. I thanked
God for my blessings—especially the blessing of Grandparents Day, which meant
free admission to the water
park for me.
With
gladness written all over her face, Layla pranced and twirled before us. She grabbed
the hand of a little boy, who wore a green sun hat, and coaxed him to join her in
the dance. Emma and I laughed at their escapades, but not nearly as much as the
green hatted boy’s parents. Layla made her way to a friendly whale and climbed
upon its back. Her smile broadened as she slid down its slippery tail, landing
in the water with a splash. Crawling along the bottom of the pool with her
hands, as
her legs floated behind her, she called out to us, “I’m swimming!”
Finally,
we could resist the excitement no longer and lowered our bodies into pool. At about
the same time as we slipped into the water, the sun slipped behind a cloud,
turning the brightness noticeably dim. Layla looked around, furrowing her brow.
“Turn the light on,” she said.
