I saw the paper delivery person this morning. She has always been hidden under the blanket of dawn. Down the road she came in a black and dusty Tahoe with three young children strapped inside. I looked at her face as she spun around the cul-de-sac and I saw the weariness that comes from working hard.
Those of us who live the dayshift have very little appreciation or even knowledge of the night shift. As we sleep, they work. They stock; they deliver; they monitor; they drive. The activity of the night makes the day possible.
How do we develop a spirituality that gives primacy to the night? The night is usually seen as a spiritual sickness that darkens the soul, and is something to be passed through so one can reach daylight.
Yet what if the night is where spiritual deepness can be claimed? Perhaps the darkness can embrace us in grace. This is a grace that allows us to take stock of our lives, delivers what needs to be delivered, monitors our progress, and drives us forward. In this case then, the miracle of Genesis is not the first day, but the first night.
