Candlelight

Candlelight
brings warmth to the table
a sense of intimacy
that feeling
of gathering around the light source
to share
friendship
family
stories
one's day

Candlelight

Candlelight, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

This time of year I love the warmth of candlelight. It seems to chase away the chill of winter as it bathes the room in its glow. It makes an occasion of a simple dinner and entices me to linger over a meal. It is reminiscent of a simpler time when people gathered around the light and shared food and stories.

In Memory

In Memory, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Mental illness is a terrible thing. No one can see your pain or really understand the inability to get your life in order. A young man suffered for many years, unable to live up to what he thought others felt he should do, immobilized by his invisible illness. He is now at peace.

I shed tears in his memory with thoughts of the days when he smiled and opened his heart to others. He was a gentle soul to others and a tortured soul to himself. And always the question, "What else could I have done?" despite knowing none of us can do more than our best, including him.