Normally I tend to write a post, then copy it and paste it here. For once, I am writing directly into the blog.

I went to bed last night feeling sick with fear, anxiety and sheer disappointment. I have long felt that the human animal is a plague on this planet, something that many have disagreed with. We have so much potential for Goodness and greatness, and yet it is so seldom realised. Those readers in the UK will know we have just had a general election; if you are someone who is delighted with the result, then I would beg of you, please forebear with any comments. For I am not delighted. I am very, very scared.

I do not have the energy or inclination to argue or even discuss this. I do not wish to get into slanging matches or even patient explanations of why I am wrong and others are right. Like many people, I am grieving.

But today, as well as being Friday the 13th (originally a day which honoured the goddess, and has been subverted to be a day of ill omen) it is St Lucy’s Day. St Lucy  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy%27s_Day was a 3rd century martyr who brought sustenance to Christians hiding in the catacombs, lighting her way by wearing on her head a wreath of candles. This crown of lights is what I wish to emulate. In Scandinavia, she is celebrated extensively on this day as a light-bringer and the harbinger of Christmastide.

Please therefore share links to good news, to photos of light, of stories about goodness and light, and be yourself a candle in the crown of lights. We can hold back the darkness, but not by pretending it isn’t there. Great evil is happening. Only by grace and by bringing light and love to the world can it be beaten back.