I heard the poem A Winter Morning by Ted Kooser recently and it spoke to me in a plain and lovely language that I’d like to share with you as we head into winter break:

A farmhouse window far back from the highway
speaks to the darkness in a small, sure voice.
Against this stillness, only a kettle’s whisper,
and against the starry cold, one small blue ring of flame.

In a way that poetry alone can capture, these words speak of a quiet voice and presence that remind me of the inner light that Quakers speak of as the still, small voice within us. I so value the concept of inner light that underlies the view we have of each other and is an important dimension of our vision for education.

At Winterfest yesterday, looking out on our entire gathered community, I saw nothing but light: in the wide eyes of our three and four year olds, in the lively energy of Upper School students performing poems and skits for younger classmates, in the hearts of teachers holding children in their laps as they sat on the gym floor.

Against a world of confusion and the suffering that comes of it, let us lift up the animating spirit of love and peace that quietly and continually lives at the heart of who we are and that flows silently but strongly among us. At this time of year, let us renew our awareness of the light that we bring to each other, tune our hearts to the beauty in our midst and enter a new year with a lively sense of genuine hope and promise.

All the best to the wonderful AFS community for which I am so grateful,