Let's Play: What Does a Lighthouse Mean to You?

I was just sitting down to write this post when my good friend Pat called. I was so glad she called, because, as you'll know if you read today's other post on "pain," I'm having a bad day.

More than a bad day, I've had a bad week.

Anyway, Pat and I talked for more than an hour (thank you, Cingular, for those free weekend minutes on the cell), and she let me rant for awhile, and then she provided some much-needed propping up for a couple of difficult decisions that I have made but am wavering on, and THEN I got to ask her the question that I'm going to ask all of you in this post:

What does a lighthouse mean to you?

Or, if you'd rather:

What does a lighthouse symbolize?

I'm asking because for the past three weeks I've been looking at the cover of a book I picked up on one of my visits to my radiation oncologist. It's from the National Cancer Institute, and the title is "Radiation Therapy and You." The cover art is a painting of a lighthouse standing high on some rocks, with a beam of light shining out over the sea.

And it's been bugging me for as long as I've had it. (I did read it, but that's another post for another day.)

So, please add your ideas as a comment, or send them to me in an e-mail.

Here are Pat's:

"A lighthouse is protection from running into danger ....it's a Christian thing. There's a lighthouse mission. Also, reaching out."

@ Jeanne Sather 2007.

Comments

[Sara]

Smartass that I am, all I can think of to say is "Sometimes a lighthouse is just a lighthouse."

Oh, and "Beware of stock photography."

[Teresa Hartman]

Since my people have lived away from the coast for many generations (I am Osage on my mom's side), seeing a lighthouse to me means the white man is building their infrastructure.

[carver]

I think of a lighthouse as helping ships avoid danger. I have no earthly clue why a lighthouse would be on a booklet about radiation therapy. I can't find any symbolic or literal way for that to work. Perhaps it's just supposed to be a pretty picture. Sounds kind of lame but that's all I can come up with. Regards, Carver

[Kristina]

I suspect that a lighthouse was used to imply charting one's way through the rocky shallows of radiation; a lighthouse is supposed to be a safe beacon of light, a warning of danger, a bright light on a dark and foggy night, a man-made mechanism for navigating nature's perils. Sounds like a whole lot of cliches to me, but then, a lighthouse on a pamphlet doesn't sound particularly creative to me.

But if they'd put a picture of my radiation burn on the front of that brochure, nobody would have showed up for treatment #2, so I suppose a lighthouse is better.

Or maybe a lighthouse is just a giant phallic symbol for cancer patients to swoon over - "Would you just look at the size of that one!" - to distract them from the considerably less fun aspects of radiation.

Beats me.

[Amy]

I had a Kiwi boyfriend who taught me how to count the seconds on the flashes of light from the lighthouses in Southern England. When I see beacons like that, I always think of him. I love lighthouses. I also think of Shirley Temple in Captain January. Sorry to be so un-profound.

[Gudrun]

Hi Jeanne,

I feel ashamed, since I did not announce myself already so long time and unfortunately stressed. I send you a link to a nice Lighthouse
(http://jersey.typepad.com/corbiere_lighthouse/_corbiere_lighthouse.jpg) along and I think and you can see, it’s symbolizing a really strong hope. I feel almost, how your pain after the radiotherapy now slowly slowly is going less and less and less and less. I’m happy to hear so much, that you had a good summer in 2007 and I think, therapy breaks are extremely important. One of my good friends also for months is so strongly in therapy, it is to much. Since 9 of May - you know this meaningful date, I also live with pain in my head bone in a small area like a gunshot wound. It do not leave practically not, so long time already. As all pain in the world it will disappear sometime.

Loves and Loves from Berlin

Gudrun

[Gudrun]

And once again ...

http://jersey.typepad.com/corbiere_lighthouse/_corbiere_lighthouse.jpg

Gudrun

[Alison]

My very first thought was the novel title "To the Lighthouse" (Virginia Woolf) though I don't think I've read it. Nor do I know the significance of the title.

[Wendy]

I like that thought of hope. For a ship lost in a storm they may get tossed and turned and not have a clue where they are. Men may be lost in the fog and not be able to see where to move for there next step. They feel like all hope is lost. But then, breaking thru that deep, deep fog is a little ray of hope. They might not have found their original destination, but they have found a place that they can have a little bit of rest and rejuvenation. The light in the storm when you are lost means that it isn't over. That you should keep on looking forward.

[Beate]

Dear Jeanne,

Living close to the North Sea coast in Germany, I grew up with lighthouses and other sea signals. To me, lighthouses symbolize direction through all odds. Since centuries they are used to guide ships through dangerous waters so that they will reach their destination undamaged and without losing the lives of their sailors.
To complete the picture, there were also what we call "beach robbers" who set false light signals, leading ships into desaster to steal their loads. But that's a different story.

No, lighthouses are truly a very encouraging sign - not only because they are guiding you, also because they can show you that you're close to the saving shores. Here's the most popular German lighthouse in a very small village called Westerhever which is only a little south of the German-Danish border: http://www.urlaubinnordfriesland.city-map.de/westerhever.html. It's light can be seen from more than 20 sea miles away - that is quite mighty.

Stay strong, and let your light shine!

Beate

[jeanne]

Thanks, everyone, for playing, and for giving me so many ideas, images, and words to play with. See my new post, above.

Jeanne

[Lisa]

To me a lighthouse is hopeful. It is a beacon of light designed to guide you to the end of a journey as you approach the shore. Simple but I find them peaceful.