This Little Light of Mine

When students from the Fergus Falls School of Dance engaged with residents at PioneerCare Center in January, they performed an especially jazzy version of This Little Light of Mine recorded by the Steeles, with dazzling choreography by Mary Pettit.

Spectators including residents and family members, staff, and a few dance parents lined up in the Celebration Center and along the bridge railing above to watch and listen.

The piece started with five young dancers in white, holding position, and slowly one dancer came to life. She gestured to each of the four and then in turn, each joined the dance.

The dancers’ movements matched the growing energy of the music. The second verse brought five more dancers in whirling white gowns to fill the room. The whole thing was an uplifting sight to behold. It presented an inspiring interpretation of that familiar song.

It started with one person. She seemed to pass energy on to the next, and then the next, and it went on to multiply until it filled the room with light. You couldn’t have watched it without smiling, and maybe even clapping along. It all ended with grateful applause.

Over the years, This Little Light of Mine was recorded by popular musicians such as Ray Charles, The Everly Brothers, The Kingston Trio, and Odetta Holmes. The song was adopted as an anthem for civil rights in the 1950s and 60s to express a message of unity, and most recently for that purpose in the face of white supremacists at Charlottsville, Virginia, in 2018.

The song is part of my earliest memories of singing at Sunday School in the Children’s Chapel at First Lutheran Church. It may spark a memory for you, too. I understood the message to express my commitment to spread the light of Christ everywhere I go. Each of us plays a part in lighting the world.

This Little Light of Mine combats the voice in our heads telling us our little light doesn’t matter, saying, “Oh, I don’t have much of anything to give.”

Because you do. Your little light makes a difference. And when you give to others, you are sharing and spreading the light. In this annual report edition of FOUNDATIONS , four retired nurses residing at Pioneer share stories of their careers. They shared their light in a big way through their professional lives.

Additionally, we feature a list of those who generously donated in 2022. And we name those whose memory was honored with memorial donations this past year. We thank each one of them for helping light up PioneerCare.

I encourage you to make a gift to the Foundation this spring to share your light. That is how it is with generosity. While none of us can change the world by ourselves, together we can light up anything. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!