Hope in the Storm – December: The Light Still Shines

Here is the December entry for Hope in the Storm – A Maple Lane Mystery, closing the year with quiet hope, cherished traditions, and new beginnings that flicker to life in winter’s hush.

Hope in the Storm – December: The Light Still Shines

The snow in Maple Lane fell early that year—soft and steady, as if the town was being tucked in gently for the winter. Tori Rae Davis sat alone at her drafting table at the Maplewood Rec Center, piecing together the final designs for the town’s Winter Light Walk. It was a tradition Henry Davis had started years ago with nothing more than a string of blue bulbs and a hand-painted sign that read “Love Still Lives Here.”

Now, the walk had grown into a full community event—soup booths, candlelit paths, and the annual blessing of the lanterns. But this year, Tori wasn’t sure she had the spirit for it. The grief of losing her dad had softened, but it still snuck up on her when she least expected it. And with her new Art Café at the University on hold due to budget delays, she felt adrift—half-started and unfinished, like so many of her canvases.

Her brother, Marcus, suggested a walk through the University grounds, newly blanketed in snow. “Let’s hang Dad’s old jacket on the statue,” he said. “Let him be part of it still.” She hesitated, then nodded.

That night, as the community gathered, the lanterns were lit one by one, and Tori spotted something that made her breath catch. A group of students had recreated her father’s first light display from a photo she’d posted months ago. They’d called it The Henry Path.

In the hush that followed the blessing, Pastor Joe spoke: “Storms will come. But if you’ve ever stood under a sky full of stars, or walked a snowy path lit by love, you know—light always finds a way through.”

Tori didn’t cry until the very end, when a little girl handed her a paper lantern and said, “This one’s for someone we miss, right?” She nodded, her heart full. Yes. And for the hope that keeps us walking forward.

Scripture Reflection:

John 1:5 (NIV)
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Journal Prompt:

What traditions bring warmth to your winter? Who might need to be reminded that their light still matters?

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