By Amy Marchand Collins

What darkness does is bring us close, closer together, closer to the Light.

So it has always been, since first we left the trees and congregated around fires to tell the stories that make us who we are.

The woman sitting and knitting in the back of meetings and council halls going back thousands of years, has been oft-overlooked. But she hears more than you realize. And when she speaks, all in earshot would do well to listen to her wisdom. She is speaking now, reminding us of who we are, who we have been, and who we yet can be.
What darkness does is draw us close, seeking Light and warmth and the comfort of togetherness. May we in our togetherness remember to welcome and even celebrate the stranger in our midst. For we all have been strangers too. Besides. It’s just the right thing to do.

What darkness does is call forth our instincts to nurture and protect what is precious and most sacred. In the dark, seedling ideas can gestate, protected from harsh criticisms until they grow past the point of vulnerability.
Those who bring the darkness want us
Separate

And small

And voiceless

And frightened

And forgetful of who we are
But instead, here we stand.

Not against, but FOR:

For Peace,

For Justice,

For Science,

For Hope,

For the Environment,

For Fairness,

For Inclusivity,

For Kindness.

Anchored in Love

Shining our Lights

Over and over, saying to our friends on our left and on our right, “I see you. I love you. I am so glad you are here.”
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Handcrafted pussyhats, the color of the sunset sky. As my hands form each stitch, I imbue them with my love and prayers, which join with the wearer’s intentions when she wears it for the March.

As we head into the long dark ahead of us, the friends, connections and memories made now must sustain us through the dark times ahead. Would that it were dawn already and these pink hats were instead harbingers of a new day!

Not all who enter this night will live to see the dawn.
But let these hats be reminders of all that we stand FOR.

We hoped to make history by inaugurating one woman to occupy the seat of power.

Instead, we who are alive today bear witness to the last gasp of a system that no longer works. For anyone. And more importantly, to the galvanizing of all of us, as we awaken to how much work remains to be done – by us – to make the changes needed, both in our systems and in our hearts to create a world that works for everyone.
What darkness does in its arrogance is revel in its power.
And that WILL prove its undoing.
Because in its power-drunk madness it forgets:

There have always been those with the ability to see right through it.

And this is why

what darkness does best

is give strength and clarity to the Light.