Patty Mayeux Blog

Lalibela is a tiny pocket of wonder in Ethiopia, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We visited these historic monastic churches when our daughter lived in Ethiopia. I can to this day call up the visceral feeling of navigating a very narrow passage to the smallest of the chapels, a mere room carved into the mountain. There was no light whatsoever. None, as in holding your hand in front of your face and you believed it had disappeared. Absolute dark. I wondered if there were holes to drop into, or jagged rocks jutting from the crooked walls. For an awful few seconds, I believed we would be consumed by that darkness and never see the light. But I had faith. Faith that there was light at the end of the dark path. Faith that my fears were unfounded. Faith that family members in front had exited safely. Perhaps it took us five minutes, maybe ten. It felt like three times that. At the moment of unnecessary panic, I saw a tiny glow. Worshippers must enter that tunnel, fears aside, in order to emerge in that tiny chapel they call Heaven. I think of Lalibela whenever I’m tempted to believe the dark is all-consuming. Look for the light. Hidden or not, it is there.