The Light in the Valley

This past weekend I watched Tyler Perry’s ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’ again. Great movie; very rich story told in the simple yet profound way that Tyler Perry is renowned for.

The movie is about a woman who had been married to the ‘perfect’ guy for the past 18 years. Her life from an observer’s point of view is a modern day fairytale; the huge mansion with servants to wait on her, a wardrobe that is every woman’s idea of heaven, the sleek Mercedes, and finally the confident and extremely successful lawyer for a husband, who doted on her publicly and attributed the credit for his success to her.

What more could any woman ask for?


Kimberly Elise- (most beautiful woman on earth) played lead role

Away from the public eye, her husband was her worst nightmare. He ridiculed her, beat her, and isolated her from her family and friends. She was trapped in her own fairy tale, for her Knight in shining armor was also the Warden of the prison that was her life.


Steve Harris- played the Monster Husband

The irony of her imprisonment was that the idea of being set free itself was one that wasn’t even within her range of options. She had never worked a day in her life, thanks to her husband who insisted that she didn’t; had no-one or nowhere to go to, oh and she signed a pre-nup!! (DEATH TO ALL PRE-NUP’S!!)

As if her situation wasn’t bad enough, her husband comes home one evening with his Mistress in tow, and asks her to leave as he was sick of having to keep his Mistress and their sons out of his home. The nerve of the man!! She had suffered from two miscarriages because of all he’d put her through and he actually had gone to have kids with another woman?!

In front of his Mistress, he dragged her out of his house into a waiting truck, leaving her with no money or a forwarding address.

She had nothing; he had been her everything. After 18 years.

Talking about how foolish this woman was would call for another session of its own; however, it’s her journey after the loss that I’m more interested in right now.

Where does one start from when you pour yourself out in a relationship or any other of life’s endeavors, and you come out with nothing?

From where does the confidence or faith that there is a future beyond this point come from?

When your entire life has revolved around a particular person or project for a time, how do you get your life back?

Is there even any life for you outside of this?

These thoughts send a shiver down my spine because I realize that the place where one is pondering these questions is the valley of any human journey.

The valley of the shadow of death.

The point of no return where down seems like the only way up.

Where the only company is the grip that wrenches your heart so hard that your dam of tears is broken and emptied out, leaving you dry and without the strength to even cry anymore.

Where the darkness is like an overpowering force that wrestles you in a bid to bury you among the dry bones of those who have not made it out of this place.

Your strength is gone, so the darkness is having a field day giving you uppercuts, close lines and body slams. Your cries of pain are lost in the echo of the valley as there is no-one there to help you.

Or so it seems.

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For Thou art with me…”

There is help in the valley. Look up to the mountain.


The Makran- located in Central Asia

The ray of light you see is the rope sent down from high up to pull you out of this dark place.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth”

Everyday in this valley I search for my ray of light. I hold unto it for what it is- my only hope of ever leaving this valley.

In this place of depression, pain and suffering, the hardest thing to do is to find anything to be thankful for.

There is always that one thing. Your ray of light.

No amount of darkness can overcome it.