Loop Head Lighthouse, Ireland

Sometimes you need to stand back to see the whole picture. That was the case as I took this picture, from about a half-mile away with a telephoto lens. I have many more close-ups, but the perspective is standing back and looking at the light, and not the buildings providing auxiliary support. The lighthouse is what provides the safety and security to mariners, and although it receives support from the barracks housing and the fog horn, it is the light that provides the beacon of hope to the lost and stranded mariner in the toughest of times.

That's something we should do every day; stand back and look at what really matters. Not just what's on the periphery, perhaps, but what's really important in life. The beacon that guides us daily and provides us hope, love and the power to continue on in a world of uncertainty and chaos. The pillar of strength in troubled times. The light that shines through the darkest storm and always guides us home.

Everyone has someone in their life that is that beacon. If you don't recognize them, you aren't looking hard enough. They are there day and night and always ready to reach out, and hold your hand through the best and worst of times. But they can't be there if you don't let them. Too many try to sequester themselves in their own world, and won't reach out to touch that which is waiting at every turn for love and support.

Like the mariners of old, peering through the driving wind and rain of the storm, the light is out there if you look. But you cannot see with your eyes closed and your head turned away.

Safe sailing, and may the seas be calm, the wind always be at your back and the sun be warm upon your face.