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One of the things we struggle with the most are the night time experiences of life. By that I mean the times when the light gradually fades away and when our world suddenly becomes dark and bleak and we can no longer feel the warmth of the sun on our face or see the colours which a short time before surrounded us wherever we looked. Suddenly, everything changes and we know that it might be like this for a very long time. There is nothing we can do about it but simply wait, as the flowers must wait until better times before daring to once more lift their heads above the soil which they feel trapped within. 

We believe that night time is a barren time but I need you to better understand that everything and everyone in this world has a unique and precious gift which they alone can offer and night is no exception. The key is to try and find the gift which daylight cannot bring.

Too many believe that there are no lights in their darkness and if they continue to look down, then they can be hard to discern. However, the minute one takes one's eyes off the problem on the ground and looks up, there is always something to bring light into our darkness, like the moon and stars which will in turn bring us hope.

At the heart of all darkness is the truth that light can be found, even when things are at their very worst, when one is considering taking one's own life, for you can no longer bear the pain of being contained in a tomb where you believe that no light will ever be able to enter. Ultimately, everyone must have the power to choose how to live or end their life, but I hope and pray that with a little light, they may feel able to once more grab hold of the hand of life and let go of the hand of death.

I'm here hoping to offer insights and maybe new ways of considering your situation and circumstances. I hope that something I say might help you go away a little more hopeful and a little lighter than when you arrived. Before I begin to travel deeper into darkness and her gifts, I want to tell you a story which I hope will help set the scene.
 

Now some of you may be thinking that stories are inappropriate in the darkness you feel entombed within. Yet I know that a story can help release you from your tomb in a way that words alone can not sometimes do. Stories have the ability to help us see ourselves and our situations through the eyes of another and we can remain dispassionate in a story, in a way that we cannot always be when others are talking directly to us. Stories are non-judgemental as you can see yourself without feeling judged or criticised, and therefore you can be less defensive and more open to really understanding what might be going on in your lives.

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So please do not misunderstand my need to tell stories as something foolish or insensitive. It is just that in stories you can see yourself and others through new eyes and with new perspective and be honest with yourself in a way you might not have been able to if I directed the words solely to you. Each child loves a story, and deep down each of you are still a child at heart. As soon as you hear the first words of this next story, you will feel safe and happy and secure in a way you might not be if I said the same thing in another way. So please settle back and enjoy all you hear that speaks to you in this story which is all about an owl and a caterpillar.

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