Meaningful Reflections: Human Sunshine
If you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine.
By Kim Crawford Meeks
Spiritual Health & Counseling Manager
Every day is not guaranteed to have sunlight, and there will be days when we all struggle to see light and certainly find it difficult to share light with others. Even on those days when darkness is overwhelming, we must look for even a glimmer of light.
Perhaps the glimmer is dew on a rose petal, the laughter of a child, the wag of a puppy dog tail, or the memory of a time when you and a friend laughed so hard that your face hurt.
Whatever the glimmer of light may be, we need to seek light each day to have sunshine in our own hearts, and to offer human sunshine to others.
Rabbi Moshe Davis said, “A candle is a small thing. But one candle can light another. And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other." As we offer light to others, our own light will shine brighter.
The theme for the Spiritual Health and Counseling Department for 2025 is, “If you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine.” The Human Sunshine Award will be given to an employee in the health system who is providing sunshine for others. The award lists the definition of sunshine to read: “Human Sunshine (You): A person whose smile can light up a room, whose laughter is infectious and whose energy is like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. They spread joy and happiness wherever they go, and their positivity is contagious.”
Each week we will award an employee with the Human Sunshine Award and feature the light they share in the Meaningful Reflections article.
If anyone would like to nominate someone for the Human Sunshine Award, please email me.
If you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine.
Learn more about Spiritual Health and Counseling at USA Health. Patients, family members, and USA Health associates are encouraged to call the Meaningful Reflections Line at 251-445-9016 for a daily recorded word of encouragement.
