The first seven evenings

The Light on the Faraway Hill

There is an hour, late at night, when the whole world seems to be asleep. The houses are dark, the streets are quiet, and only here and there a child is still awake. In that hour, and only in that hour, something can happen. Someone may tap softly at the window. Someone who brings a wonder, just for that one child.

Tonight, it was Emma's turn.

She lay under her blanket and could not fall asleep. Bruno, her dog, lay curled up at her feet. Emma was not the least bit tired. Something fluttered in her tummy, as if something lovely was about to happen, and she just did not know what yet.

Then she heard it. Very softly, on the windowpane. Tap. Tap. Tap. As gentle as little soap bubbles touching the glass.

Emma sat up. There was a glow at the window. At first she thought it was just the streetlamp outside. But this light was different. It was warm and golden, and it moved ever so gently, as if it were breathing.

"Is somebody there?" Emma whispered.

The light grew brighter. And then, very slowly, it began to take shape. At first Emma could not make out anything at all. Then she saw two soft eyes. And then, all at once, on the windowsill sat a little lamb, with wool that glowed like a candle from the inside.

"Don't be afraid," said the lamb. Her voice was so soft and so warm that Emma felt a little braver right away. "I am Lumi. In this one quiet hour, I sometimes come to children who are still awake. Would you like to see something that only a few have ever seen?"

Emma thought for a moment. Then she nodded.

So Lumi turned to the window and pressed her small, glowing forehead gently against the glass. And where she touched it, something began to happen. The cold, dark window started to shine. A warm, golden glow spread out, very slowly, the way the sun comes up in the morning. It crept across the whole pane, until there was no glass left at all. Where the window had been, there was now a gate of soft, golden light.

And behind the gate was not the street. Behind the gate lay a wide, open land.

"Come," said Lumi. "Just climb up onto the windowsill and step through."

Emma climbed out of bed, and Bruno was at her side in one leap. She stepped up onto the sill, took a deep breath, and walked through the warm light. It felt like sunshine on a summer day.

And then she was standing in the grass.

It was night, but not a dark night. Above her stretched a sky the color of honey, and as far as she could see, little lights were glowing everywhere. In the grass, on the hills, along the bank of a quiet river. It was the most beautiful thing Emma had ever seen. Bruno padded a little way into the grass, sniffed at one of the glowing lights, and then settled down close beside her, calm and happy.

"Where are we?" she whispered.

"This is Elim," said Lumi. "The land where nothing good is ever lost."

Emma bent down to one of the lights in the grass. It was warm and smooth, like a little stone. "Every light here was once something good," said Lumi. "A kind word. A bit of bravery, when someone was afraid. Things like that are never lost. They come to Elim and wait here, until they are needed again."

Far, far away, on the highest hill, a light was burning that was much bigger and warmer than all the others. It did not flicker like the little ones. Emma knew right away that this light would never, ever go out.

"And that one, over there?" she asked softly.

Lumi looked at it for a long moment. "That is the First Light," she said. "Everything warm here comes from it. That is where I come from too. It knows every little light. Every child, too, it knows by name. It knows you, Emma. And it has known you for a long, long time."

Emma gazed up at the faraway, peaceful light. And all at once she did not feel small anymore, and she did not feel alone. It was as if someone were watching over her. Someone who had known her all along, and had never once looked away. It felt safe. It felt like home.

Lumi lifted the little light out of the grass and laid it gently in Emma's hand. "This is yours now. Hold it close. Tomorrow I will show you how we can use it to help a little friend who is feeling a bit alone today."

And then everything turned warm and golden. Emma fell asleep, with Bruno curled up at her feet, and the little light glowed softly in her hand the whole night through.

In the Bible:"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."* (Luke 12:6-7, NIV)

Nim, the Light Who Felt Alone

Emma was already under her blanket, but she was wide awake. In her hand she held the little light that Lumi had given her the night before. It was as warm as a small ray of sunshine, and Emma had taken good care of it. Bruno lay at her feet, making soft snuffly sounds in his sleep.

Then she heard it again. Very softly, on the windowpane. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Emma sat up, and slowly her whole room turned warm and golden. There on the windowsill sat Lumi, her wool glowing like a little candle.

"You took good care of your light," the lamb said softly, and she looked pleased. "Tonight we are going to need it. Come."

Lumi laid her glowing forehead against the cold glass. And slowly, very slowly, the window began to change. First it grew a little warm under Lumi's forehead, then it shimmered gold, and then it glowed from the inside, as if it were made of warm honey. Emma could already smell the grass. Where the dark window had been, there was now a soft, golden path, and it led straight into Elim.

Emma climbed onto the windowsill, held on to Lumi's soft wool, and stepped through. The cool of her room slipped from her shoulders, and under her feet was warm, soft grass.

But tonight something was different. Right at the edge of the meadow, a little way off from all the cheerful lights, one small light sat all by itself. It glowed only very faintly now, almost grey, as if it had forgotten how to be bright.

"That is Nim," Lumi whispered. "This morning Nim woke up and wondered whether anyone misses him at all. And when a light believes it is all alone, it grows paler and paler."

Emma walked slowly over to Nim and sat down right beside him in the grass. "Hello, Nim," she said gently. "I am Emma. I saw you right away, all the way from over there."

Nim grew a tiny bit brighter. "Really?" he asked. "The others are so far away. I don't think I really belong."

Emma thought for a moment. Then she opened her hand and showed Nim her own little light. "Do you know what? You shine just like mine. I think you only forgot it for a while. Would you like me to stay with you for a bit?"

Nim said nothing. But he moved in close to Emma. And Emma told him about the path through the light, and about her day. And while Nim listened, he grew brighter and brighter, until he shone warm and golden and gave a tiny hop for joy.

"You didn't do anything big," Lumi said, and smiled. "You simply stayed. Sometimes that is the most beautiful thing a person can do."

Emma looked over at the great, peaceful light on the faraway hill. And just for a moment, it seemed to glow a little brighter, right then, just for her and Nim.

When it was time to go, Nim was still hopping happily in a circle. "Come back tomorrow," he called.

"We will, for sure," said Lumi. "And tomorrow I will show you a secret about the First Light, Emma. Something that only a few children know."

And then everything turned warm and golden. Emma fell asleep with a smile, Bruno breathing softly at her feet, the little light held close, and far away in Elim a small light named Nim was glowing bright again.

In the Bible:"A friend loves at all times."* (Proverbs 17:17, NIV)

The Secret of the First Light

It was that quiet hour again, when almost the whole world was asleep. Emma lay awake, already waiting a little. Tonight that lovely tickle was back in her tummy, as if something good was on its way.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

There it was. Emma sat up, and at once her room was bathed in soft gold. Lumi sat on the windowsill, and beside the little lamb a tiny, happy light was dancing in the air.

"Nim really wanted to come along," said Lumi, with a quiet laugh.

The gate of light opened, just as it had on the two nights before. Lumi laid her forehead against the glass, the window turned warm and golden like honey, and Emma could already smell the grass and hear the soft, happy humming of Elim far off in the night. She stepped through and stood in the warm grass.

But tonight Lumi did not lead her to the many lights by the river. They walked a little way up the hill, to a place where you could see the great, calm light high above especially well. There they sat down in the grass.

"Emma," said Lumi softly, "tonight I want to tell you the secret of the First Light. The First Light is not only beautiful to look at. It can also hear you. Even from very far away."

Emma's eyes went wide. "Me? But it is so high up."

"Just try," said Lumi. "You don't have to be loud at all. Tell it very quietly what is in your heart. It hears even the smallest whisper."

Emma felt a little shy. She looked up at the warm, peaceful light. Then she folded her hands, all on her own, and whispered, "Thank you that Elim is here. And thank you that Nim is not alone anymore."

For a moment everything was still. And then something happened. A warm breath drifted across the meadow, as gentle as a hand smoothing your hair. The great light on the hill shone brighter, just for the blink of an eye. And deep inside Emma it grew calm and warm, as if someone had answered very softly: I heard you.

"It heard me," Emma whispered. "It really did."

"Always," said Lumi. "You can talk to it any time. In the day, in the night, when you are happy and when you are sad. You only have to begin, very quietly. It is nearer than you think."

Nim snuggled against Emma's arm. "I said something too," he whispered. "I said thank you that I have a friend now."

Emma smiled. She looked up at the First Light for a long time, and it felt as if someone was looking back, someone who was very fond of her.

When it was time to go, Lumi stood up. "Tomorrow," she said, "we will meet someone who is still all alone and is looking for a home. You will know exactly what to do."

And then everything turned warm and golden, and Emma fell asleep, Bruno curled up at her feet, the quiet feeling of having been heard still glowing softly in her heart.

In the Bible:"The Lord is near to all who call on him."* (Psalm 145:18, NIV)

A Place for the Little Stranger Light

Emma held her little light in her hand and was already waiting for the soft knock. She kept thinking about the night before, about the warm breath across the meadow, and she could hardly wait to see Elim again.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

There was Lumi. The window turned golden and warm, the honey path opened, and Emma stepped through into the soft grass. Nim came hopping over to meet them, glowing with joy.

"Tonight we need you," said Lumi. "Come with me to the edge of the meadow."

There, where the warm grass slowly faded into the dark, sat a tiny light. Emma had never noticed it before. It glowed only very shyly and curled itself up small whenever the others danced past.

"That is a brand new light," Lumi whispered. "It only came to Elim today. It doesn't know anyone here yet, and it doesn't dare go near the others. It believes there is no place for it."

Emma knelt down in the grass. "Hello," she said gently. "Would you like to come along? Everyone over there is very kind."

The little light trembled a bit. "But I am new," it said softly. "The others all know each other already."

"I was new here once too," said Nim, and hopped a little closer. "Only yesterday. And now I have a friend. Come on, I will show you everything."

Emma held out her open hand, very calmly, without rushing. For a while nothing happened. Then, very carefully, the light rolled into her hand, warm and shy. Emma carried it gently over to the others.

And the other lights did a beautiful thing. All on their own, they moved a little to the side and made an open space, right in their middle, just big enough for one small new light. "Come to us," they called. "Here is your place."

Then the little light dared. It hopped into the middle, and at that very moment it grew brighter and brighter, until it shone as happily as all the others. It was not a stranger anymore. It belonged now.

"Did you see how easy that was?" Lumi said softly. "Sometimes someone only needs one person to hold out a hand. And a place where they are allowed to be."

Emma watched the new light dance across the meadow with the others. Deep inside her it grew warm. And when she looked up at the First Light, she thought, very quietly and without a word: Thank you that no one is alone now. And she knew that it had heard her.

"Come," said Lumi, as it grew late. "Tomorrow something important is waiting by the silver brook. Two who really love each other need your help."

And then everything turned warm and golden, and Emma fell asleep, Bruno curled up at her feet, and she dreamed of many little lights moving closer together, so that one more could fit.

In the Bible:"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you."* (Romans 15:7, NIV)

The Two Lights Who Had Quarreled

Emma had barely slipped under her blanket when she heard it. Very softly, on the windowpane. Tap. Tap. Tap. She sat up, and her whole room was bathed in soft gold. On the windowsill sat Lumi, her wool glowing warm like a little sun.

"Are you ready?" the lamb whispered.

Lumi laid her small glowing forehead against the glass. And slowly, very slowly, the cold dark window began to change. First it grew a little warm, then golden, and then it glowed from the inside, as if it were made of liquid honey. All at once Emma could smell it: warm grass. She could hear it: a soft, happy humming, far off in the night. Where a window had been, there was now a warm, golden path, leading straight into Elim.

Emma climbed onto the windowsill, held on to Lumi's soft wool, and stepped through. The cold of her room fell from her shoulders, and under her feet was soft, warm grass. Bruno came bounding through behind her, and Nim came hopping over to meet them, glowing with joy.

"Come," said Lumi. "Down by the brook there is something tonight that only a child like you can put right."

By the bank of the silver brook sat two little lights, back to back. Both of them glowed very faintly, almost grey, and the air between them felt cool.

"Those two were always the very best of friends," Lumi whispered. "But today they had a quarrel. And a light that is cross with another light cannot shine properly anymore."

Emma sat down right between the two of them. "What happened?" she asked gently.

"He started it!" said one. "She was mean!" said the other. And both of them grew a little paler still.

Emma knew it would not help at all to ask whose fault it was. So she asked something quite different. "Do you miss each other?"

The two lights went very quiet. "A little," said one softly. "Actually, a lot," said the other.

"Then it is really very simple," Emma said, and she had to smile. "You don't have to be right. You only have to be friends again. You say something kind first."

"I am sorry," said the little light. And the moment the words were out, it grew a bit brighter. "Me too," said the other quickly. And then, all on their own, they moved closer together until they touched, and all at once both of them shone so bright and warm that Emma had to blink, and she laughed.

Lumi beamed. "Making peace is the most beautiful thing of all, Emma. Whoever brings two together again brings a piece of the First Light into the world."

The two lights danced so happily over the brook that Bruno ran after them and Nim turned tiny somersaults for joy.

When it was time to go, Emma looked up once more at the great, calm light on the faraway hill. "Lumi," she said, "will we ever go there? All the way to the top?"

Lumi smiled a secret little smile. "Perhaps sooner than you think. Tomorrow I will show you something no child has ever seen before. Something wonderful, deep in the forest of Elim."

And then everything turned warm and golden, and Emma fell asleep, Bruno curled up at her feet, with the happy laughter of the two friends still ringing in her ears.

In the Bible:"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."* (Matthew 5:9, NIV)

The Wonder Deep in the Forest of Elim

All day long Emma had been thinking about what Lumi had promised her: something no child had ever seen before, deep in the forest of Elim. Now she lay awake and could hardly wait.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Lumi was already on the windowsill. The gate of light opened, warm and golden, and this time the grass smelled of the forest, of moss and of something sweet that Emma did not know. She stepped through, and Nim was at her side at once.

"Tonight we are going far," said Lumi. "Stay close to me."

They walked across the meadow, along the silver brook, and then into the forest of Elim. Among the tall trees it was quiet and solemn. Little lights hung from the branches like dewdrops and showed the way. The deeper they went, the more beautiful it became.

And then the trees parted, and Emma stopped and held her breath.

Before her lay a round clearing, and in the middle stood a great old tree, so tall that Emma could barely see its top. But that was not the wonder. The wonder was this: all around the tree, one after another, brand new little lights were rising up out of the ground. They lifted gently from the grass, floated upward, and danced out into the night.

"What is that?" Emma whispered.

Lumi watched with shining eyes. "Look very closely, Emma. Every time, somewhere in the world right now, a child does something good, a new light is born here. When one comforts another. When one shares. When one is brave, even though it was hard. In this very moment, while we stand here, those are all children who are doing something kind."

Emma followed one tiny light with her eyes as it rose, shining especially bright. "And that one?"

"That was someone just now who was kind to his little brother, without anyone seeing at all," Lumi said softly. "But here it is seen. Here nothing is ever lost."

Emma simply stood and watched. There were so many lights. So much good, all over the world, in this very moment. She had never known there was so much of it. Her heart grew warm.

And then she saw something. All these new lights, once they had risen high enough, drifted in the same direction. Toward the great, calm light on the faraway hill. As if they were all coming home.

"They are going to the First Light," said Emma.

"Yes," said Lumi gently. "Everything good comes from there. And everything good returns to it."

Emma held her own little light against her cheek for a moment. It was warm. And she thought how perhaps it, too, had once risen up like that, because somewhere a child had been kind.

"Come," said Lumi, as the clearing slowly grew quiet again. "Tomorrow we will go a little closer to the First Light than any child has ever gone. I think it is time for you to come a little nearer to it."

And then everything turned warm and golden, and Emma fell asleep, Bruno curled up at her feet, and above her, in her dreams, a thousand little lights rose up toward the hill.

In the Bible:"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights."* (James 1:17, NIV)

A Step Closer

Emma knew that today was something special. She had felt it all evening long. Lumi had said they would go a step closer to the First Light, closer than any child had ever gone.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The window turned golden and warm, and this time the light of Elim came toward Emma brighter than usual, almost as if it had been waiting for her. She stepped through, and Nim was right there with her.

"Are you ready?" Lumi asked softly. "Tonight we climb the great hill."

They went up the long, gentle hill, higher and higher. With every step the air grew warmer and stiller and more beautiful. The little lights along the path shone brighter the higher they climbed, as if they were at home here. And over everything, closer now than ever, shone the great, calm First Light.

They did not reach the very top. But they came closer than ever before. And now Emma felt the light not only with her eyes. She felt it on her skin, warm like the sun. She felt it in her tummy, calm and safe. It was as if someone were wrapping her in a hug, without any arms at all.

Emma sat down in the warm grass. "Lumi," she asked quietly, "who is that? Who is the First Light, really?"

Lumi sat down right next to her. For a while she said nothing. Then she spoke more softly and more warmly than ever before.

"The First Light is not only high up on the hill, Emma. That is the greatest secret of Elim. A long, long time ago, it came all the way down itself. All the way down, right into the grass, small and near, as small as one of us. It did not want only to shine from above. It wanted to be close to us. So that never again would a single light have to think it was alone."

Emma looked at the great, warm light for a long time. "It was down here? With us?"

"Yes," said Lumi. "And in a way, it still is. It knows you, Emma. It knows your name. It knew you long before you first heard my knock at the window."

Emma did not say anything more. She folded her hands together, the way she had learned, and whispered up into the night, "Thank you for coming down. Thank you for knowing me."

And the warm breath came over the hill again, gentle and sure, and wrapped around her like a blanket.

Lumi was just about to stand up when she stopped, right in the middle of the movement. Up on the hill, by the great, calm light, something was happening. Very slowly, a single warm spark lifted away from the First Light. It floated down the hill, quiet and steady, straight toward Emma.

Lumi went completely still. Emma had never seen the little lamb look so full of wonder.

"The First Light has never done that before," Lumi whispered. "Not in all this long time. It is sending something to you, Emma."

Emma could not take her eyes off the little spark. It came down the wide hill, warm and golden, just for her. But the way was long, so long that the spark would be traveling all night. Only when Emma next came through the gate would it reach her. Something of the First Light itself, close at last, for the very first time.

In Emma's tummy the happy waiting tingled, like a morning when you already know something wonderful is coming. She did not want to leave at all. But Lumi gently laid her soft forehead against Emma's cheek. "Sleep now," she whispered. "And dream sweet dreams. What is on its way to you, no child has ever been given before. A piece of the First Light itself, just for you."

And then everything turned warm and golden, and Emma fell asleep, safe and loved, Bruno curled up at her feet and her little light held tight in her hand. And deep inside her, bright and impatient, one single thought glowed on until morning: Tomorrow it comes to me.

In the Bible:"The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world."* (John 1:9, NIV)