The Distant Lighthouse


Fiction - Inspirational
46 Pages
Reviewed on 03/15/2023
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite

Linda Gallagher is the founder and spiritual director of A Center of Freedom, an American non-profit organization that promotes the appreciation of the ideals of freedom. Through her book The Distant Lighthouse, the author seeks to help readers discern what they may have lost in their search for purpose and meaning in life and move forward with grace, humility, gratitude, and love. A long time ago, a very special lighthouse stood tall in the sea and guided ships to find their way to the nearby harbor. Somewhere along the way, it started to feel pangs of loneliness and longed for something more than living on the distant rocky island it called home. With each passing day, its light dimmed further. The lighthouse must now rely on the Light Keeper to remind it of its true purpose.

As we grow older, we tend to lose sight of the most important things in life and instead find ourselves driven solely by worldly goals, which leads to losing touch with our inner selves. Through a moving short story, Linda Gallagher reminds readers that everyone has a purpose and reason for their existence and that each of us is unique in the grand scheme of things. The light we search for resides inside us. This is the primary message of The Distant Lighthouse. Gallagher reveals the truth with beautifully penned words in her story, which makes it all the more riveting to read. It is a book about hope and inner belief that I highly recommend.

Carmen Tenorio

The Distant Lighthouse by Linda Gallagher is a tale of a lighthouse in the middle of the sea, beaming its light into the vast darkness of the ocean, leading ships and boats to safety or warning them of possible catastrophe. As it shines its light night after night, and then standing tall on top of a rocky island by the sea and its elements day after day, weariness eventually sets in, and everything started to feel like a mechanical routine that became meaningless. Along with losing sight of its actual purpose, over time the lighthouse also developed feelings of isolation, depression, fear, and self-pity. Eventually, everything it had at the start was forgotten. The lighthouse then had a dream that led it to recall its inner voice, and that by accepting and acknowledging it by name, it could help bring back into its memory the deeper, more joyful, and altruistic purpose of what being a real beacon of light is and give answers to its questions. With this reliving of past thoughts came a rebirth that reinvigorated the lighthouse as it woke up and saw that this light within us is also the "oneness" that connects us with others. As the origin of truth, joy, love, and inspiration, we are renewed by this innate gift, making it possible for us to lead those who are unaware of the true nature of the divine ethereal presence that serves as a rudder for wandering souls that guides us back into remembering our deeper purpose for being alive.

Linda Gallagher's The Distant Lighthouse is a metaphorical narrative. She uses the lighthouse as a constructive reflection of ourselves when we are burnt out and feel excluded from any meaningful purpose. The author knows that reaching out to people is a creative endeavor, and she believes that mindfulness can be restored by using beautiful watercolor illustrations as the background to a story that uses personification as a way to engage the reader. It also helps the author touch on sensitive emotional concepts such as loneliness, self-doubt, and despair clearly and understandably. By using a non-living exemplar, the reader is insulated from feeling vulnerable, while the author gently tries to teach us to free ourselves from unhealthy attachments, flushing out the mind pollution that has accumulated, disoriented, and blurred our identity and purpose in life. When read introspectively, this short story may seem to be a short session of regression therapy that aims to nudge the reader to reflect on and rediscover aspects of the past that are still a part of who we are but have been lost or put away in the deep recesses of our mind. The book also features wisdom and wise quotes that serve to reframe our experiences and anchor us to memories that gave us a true sense of purpose for living not only for ourselves but for others as well. It is an uplifting story that is easy to read and is not too intense, which makes it highly recommended for mindful reading meditation.

Frank Stephen

The Distant Lighthouse by Linda Gallagher is a brilliant parable that portrays a spiritual journey to finding meaning and purpose from the depths of despair and unbearable solitude. It narrates a remarkable story of a regular lighthouse with an ordeal common to every human being. This lighthouse is searching for something it had forgotten; the reason it is stuck on a lonely shore surrounded by seagulls and birds. While it watches, its glow gradually fades along with its joy and willingness to continue radiating its light to passing ships, some of which seem to avoid him. It also believes that something is wrong with it. And there is no reason for it to go on without a purpose in a quiet, cold, lonely world around an empty, boring island.

The Distant Lighthouse offers a path to finding the light, which is the realization of the true self. The struggle of the lighthouse provides a symbolic depiction of the human condition. It perfectly describes the fears and doubts common to the human experience, and I discovered I had a lot in common with this inanimate lighthouse. Linda Gallagher uses a lot of language known to people in spiritual circles, which could be an issue for people who aren't used to the meaning of these concepts and ideas. But I think she did an excellent job of making a case for finding the reason for living from within and recognizing the inner voice of the soul. This is a must-read for those on a spiritual journey to finding joy, peace, and purpose in life.

Nino Lobiladze

The Distant Lighthouse by Linda Gallagher is an inspirational story about a lighthouse on a small island. This lighthouse shows ships the safe way to a harbor. Those ships would have crashed against the rocks if there had not been a bright light to guide them away from danger. As time passes, the lighthouse doubts its mission and fears loneliness on the small island. There was something important that the lighthouse forgot. It tries to remember in vain, and its light dims. There is a secret door that leads inside the lighthouse. It turned out that long ago, the lighthouse was not alone; it had a helper named Light Keeper. What should the lighthouse do to shine brightly again?

I would like to say a word of appreciation regarding the aesthetics of the book. Illustrated by the talented Joe Bellows, The Distant Lighthouse is outstandingly beautiful and the message is strong and clear. I appreciated that Linda Gallagher outlined the basic rules of keeping our light bright in simple words. The book gives us hope that we are never alone. This message means so much to us, considering how troubled our world is today. I liked the lighthouse metaphor regarding duty, even at the risk of uneasiness. We all have our dark moments of insecurity when the purpose of life seems lost. I firmly believe that this short story would help those who are depressed and lonely to reignite the forgotten inner light they have inside their hearts.

Diana Lopez

The Distant Lighthouse is a story in the form of a metaphor about a lighthouse that does its job diligently, helping ships with its light. But gradually, he feels lonely and abandoned. He even forgets why he is there. So he is unmotivated to continue, loses hope, and forgets how to shine. And now, he needs to look inside himself to rediscover his purpose and regain the meaningful memories he has lost. Linda Gallagher shows us how to find what we thought was lost in our lives and start with a new understanding. The goal focuses on feeling love and our inner purpose. She teaches us to value each day of our lives and accept with humility each discovery we make. And the most important thing is that she motivates us to leave behind the difficulties we have experienced without forgetting what we have learned.

The Distant Lighthouse is a beautiful analogy about connecting with your inner light. This story is for the reader to reflect on who they are. Linda Gallagher shares simple advice throughout the story, which is helpful guidance for life. The presentation is beautiful, and the backgrounds and images have very relaxing colors. The illustrations are inspiring and comforting, like taking a walk by the sea. The Distant Lighthouse is a pleasant way to discover that we are all unique in our own way. We all have a place and a purpose. One of the most significant lessons is that helping others find their way is also part of our job. By sharing your light, you help your lost friends find their way, and that's what Linda Gallagher is doing by sharing this story.