My Eternal Flame

I like fire. Not in a crazy arson kind of way but in a warm, spiritual sense. At our home, we have plenty of candles, various candle holders and a small collection of hurricane lamps, which came in very handy last year during the blackouts after Hurricane Irene and the October snow storm.

For the past few days, a different kind of candle has been burning in my house – a memorial candle for my mom who passed away last Wednesday. The candle and light symbolize the body and soul, as it is written in the Book of Proverbs  – “Man’s soul is the Lord’s candle.”  In case you are wondering, I got that quote from a google search, not because of my Biblical knowledge.

This candle brings a different sort of spirituality into my home and I look at this candle differently than any other candle or flame I have ever seen before. It brings me sadness but at the same time I see my mother in that flame. She was bright and warm, life flickered and danced within her, and she illuminated the world.

In a few days, the light from the candle will fade but my mother’s flame never will. I will carry my mother and her eternal flame with me for all the rest of my days. When the memorial candle finally goes out, I will continue to light candles and hurricane lamps, and stare at the flame within. In each flicker, I will see my mother knowing that she continues to light my world as my own eternal flame.