For two summers while I was in college, I worked as a counselor at a girls’ camp in the mountains of Utah. The staff at the camp all used an alternate name while at camp. It was a long-standing tradition at Brighton Girls’ Camp. When I attended this camp as a girl, my counselors’ names had been Nutmeg and Sage.

After I was hired, I deliberated for weeks trying to pick what name I would use. It’s a daunting experience to name yourself. I had never really had a nickname growing up. I began to think of what I wanted my campers to remember the most from the time they spent with me at Brighton. I realized I wanted them to know of the power within them to make a difference and that they could have courage to take a stand to do what was right, even when everyone around them might be doing something different.

So, being the English Major that I was in college, I turned to my Thesaurus. (Yes, this was long before I could have imagined what Google would be.) I looked up “light” and found many words listed, but one really stood out to me: Sparkle. I decided that this would be my camp name. And so for the summers of 1989 and 1990, all of the staff and all of my campers called me Sparkle.

During evening devotionals with my campers, I would light a small birthday candle and show them how this one tiny light would provide enough light for our dark cabin. I would let them know that tough years were ahead of them, but they could make good decisions. Sometimes they would feel alone, but they could make a difference, just as that little candle made a difference in a dark cabin.

I’ve been remembering this, some 37 years later, with all of the difficult things going on in the world right now. It can feel overwhelming and like the battle is lost when we see people being treated unfairly and unkindly. We can easily wonder why we should do anything to try to change the status quo when it’s so daunting to do anything.

I had a class in college where the professor played a motivawas from. But I do remember the quote because it has inspired me many times when I have felt like giving up:

I am only one. But I am one.

I can’t do everything, but I can do something.

That which I can do, I ought to do.

And what which I ought to do, by the grace of God, I shall do.

As I was researching the quote to write this piece, I found that it originally came from Edward Everett Hale, an American author, historian, and Unitarian minister. His writings were especially influential to the Union cause during the Civil War. That period of time certainly felt overwhelming, but we are the beneficiaries of those who persevered and did not give up.

A favorite song of mine is “This Little Light of Mine.” The words remind us that though we are just one person and our light may be small, we can still let it shine and make a difference:

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Ev’rywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine.

Ev’rywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine.

Ev’rywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine,

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Each Saturday we see fellow neighbors standing up for what they believe in standing along First Street, letting their voices be heard. They will not be silent because they see injustice in our country. I have joined them when I am able, but I am often working on Saturdays. Some might feel that what they are doing isn’t making a difference because it’s only a small crowd or because Mount Vernon isn’t a large city, but I love that they are getting out and standing up for what they believe.

It’s easy to sit in our homes and be complacent. We can ignore what is going on in our state and country and think it will all just work out. What if the Americans of the 1700s had just continued to pay all the taxes to England? They saw something that was unjust and they took action. Will we also sit by when we see things that are wrong or we will be that symbolic birthday candle shining in the dark and make a difference? It takes courage, but, by the grace of God, we can be the change that we hope to see.