As a child I was definitely not permitted to be outside when darkness approached. Some children used the flicker of street lights as their non-verbal cue to go home. While others relied on the trumpeting sound of a maternal voice or echoes of an older sibling. Essentially, home represented a safe place that kept you grounded and shielded you from the possible pitfalls that lurked in the darkness. Unbeknown to most of us the darkness was not outside the confines of our homes. The bogeyman was not hiding in a closet or under our bed. Instead we housed and were keepers of the darkness. The darkness safely resided inside of us and we vehemently guarded and protected it. You might be thinking I don't have any darkness I am a "good person." If your thoughts were captured in the previous statement you are about to miss it. Simply put our darkness is our secrets; the ones we keep from ourselves. Each day we wear an array of different disguises or masks to make it through the day. We usually become reminded of our darkness when we are alone and have moments of clarity. A popular song from my childhood said it best "hello darkness my old friend, I've come to meet with you again." Our darkness never goes away. If it seems gone like a boomerang it soon returns.The only way out of darkness is to take a journey inside. Look around to see what thoughts, beliefs, or secrets you have tightly hidden inside of you. The admonishment many of us received as children to go inside before it gets dark still holds true today. 
AMEN!
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