I have uttered these words twice in the last week, once to a coaching client and once to myself, both times in conversation about being a parent.

What is the purpose of a lighthouse? Webster says a lighthouse is:

a structure (as a tower) with a powerful light that gives a continuous or intermittent signal to navigators.

According to Wikipedia:

Lighthouses are often interpreted in dreams as beacons of truth.

As a parent, particularly as our children reach adulthood, I find my role becoming that of a lighthouse for them, as opposed to being a search light. My job is not to chase after them illuminating all they that do, but rather to be that powerful light in their lives that gives them enough of a sense of security to venture out into the world on their own.

Again, I defer to my favorite quote:

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson, from her book, A Return to Love

The idea of being a lighthouse is certainly not limited to our role as parents. We can be lighthouses in all areas of our lives.

What makes our light shine brighter and brighter is learning who we really are and living that in this life. Living in the present moment makes our lights stronger, too. Being authentic (not the same as one another, but true to who we each are, individually) and fearless about shining our light is the best contribution we can make, in my opinion.