Leave the Light On


On a scale of bad habits, this one doesn’t rate high, and I’ve come to see it as my personal mission—turning off the lights that my husband leaves on. It’s kind of a joke between us now.

Last week, as I turned off a light that had been left on all night, I thought about how leaving a light on for others can be an act of kindness. I remember as a child—my room was down the hall, and Dad would leave a light on for me, so it wouldn’t be dark if I got up in the middle of the night.


As a teen, he’d leave the kitchen light on, so when I came in late, I could see when I entered our apartment.


I left lights on for my children when they were little—and in their teens when I went to bed before they did. I guess, leaving the light on isn’t always a bad thing. It’s a loving act—one that says, “I’m thinking about you.”


Perhaps the light in my heart has finally been switched on to see my husband’s “habit” in a better way—a sweet way of his thinking about me.

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