Sometimes the world is dark. World, community or personal events may darken our emotional life. Multiple days of clouds (maybe storms) mean we don’t see the sun. The seasonal tilt of the earth on its axis means less (to no) hours of light.
It is important to honor, to validity, to embrace these times at least for a moment. At some point it is important to let a little light in.
Sing and bring in the light
To sing and bring in the light can take many forms. Sometimes it embracing one aspect. Singing just about the good times or the challenging times. Other times it is also looking at the “flip side”. For example, if you sing about the sun you also sing about the dark or shadows.
Be inspired by the lyrics of this 1975 Captain & Tennille hit “The Way That I Want to Touch You”:
You are sunshine
You are shadows
You are morning
You are night
You are hard times
You are good times
You are darkness
You are light
The following are a few ideas to help you flip your “light switch” of ideas.
Playing or singing in the (literal) dark
Rather than holding a session with the lights on, maybe you turn the ceiling lights off. Let the sunlight from the window or a lamp in the room give a soft light to the space.
Have some fun (with all ages) using flashlights for songs, games and more.
Get your drums glowing with this resource.
Singing and discussing
Select a topic (and maybe the counter topic, too). Sing and discuss the songs.
What should you sing?
- This Bright Side post has songs for both young children and adults.
- For those in senior living, consider singing from this collection on the Sun, Moon and Stars.
- Explore old shadow songs with adults.
- Exploring hard times? Many Woody Guthrie songs touch on this. Check out this song collection along with this collection of singable books. There is something for all ages.
These are just a few starter ideas.
Drop your suggestions in the comments below.
