”A Christmas
candle is a lovely thing: it
makes no noise at all, but softly gives
itself away; while quite unselfish, it grows small.”
~ Eva K. Logue
Good
Morning!
When
my daughter was eight years old, she created a wonderful
tradition. Seemingly
out of the blue,
Samantha asked if I would take her to the store so she could get some
“supplies.” When we
left the store, we had twenty-five
glass votive holders and twenty-five candles.
When
we arrived home, I till wasn’t sure of Samantha’s
plans. (She insisted it be a
surprise.) She cleared an area of the
side table in our dining room and set each votive, with a candle, in a
line. Then she sat down at the table and
stared at them, while studiously writing some notes. The
next day she invited us all in and lit
the first candle declaring, “This candle is for peace.” The
next day, she lit both the first and
second candles. Each day she lit another
candle in addition to the previous candles, as she added to the
“traits” she
wanted to remember during the holiday season.
As Christmas Eve neared, this grew into a twenty-minute daily routine
which helped us all to truly slow down and remember what the season is
about. On Christmas Day, we lit a large
candle and let all the candles burn for the day of celebration.
Here is the
original list of Samantha’s candle
representations at age eight years old:
Peace, Love, Joy,
Gratitude, Giving, Listening, Hope, Harmony, Growth, Understanding,
Health, Trust, Those we have lost, Compassion, To cherish,
Sharing, Serenity, Freedom, Life, Friends, Spirit, Faith, Family,
Celebration, Jesus.
Your Turn: Create your
own list of holiday traits. Make a
special page in your journal and add one trait per day throughout the
season.
Today’s
Affirmation: I
take time to remember and reflect on the reason for the season.