Candlelight

I sit alone in my room, contemplating the flickering light on my table.

How easy it is to see our lives like a candle.

A candle begins fresh and new. Taken from a protective wrap, it is displayed to the world for all to see. The wick is lit and it begins to burn. At times it burns higher or lower, brighter or dimmer. At other times it appears to be completely motionless. It charts a steady linear course down the path of its life until it is consumed, leaving behind a bent and blackened form.

How beautiful it was in life, but now it is gone -- never to burn again.

But the life of a candle is more than wick and wax. The true life of a candle is in the light that it gives off while it burns.

Think of the darkness that was dispelled by that light, even if for a little while. What calming effect did it bring during its existence? What children found safety and comfort it its glow? What words of knowledge were learned under its light; words that influenced another to go out and change their life -- or the world? What love was shared in its dancing shadows? What warmth was added to the room by its presence?

Is the light not as useful at the bottom of the wick as when it was first lit?

Does its influence truly end after it is gone?

The life of a candle does not only progress in one direction. A candle also radiates outward, and it is in this direction that it is truly immortal.