“Grandma let’s light this birthday candle and see how long it takes to burn” my granddaughter, Starling said to me. “Hmnn, okay, let me find a candle holder.”  I brought out a glass holder and melted a little remnant of wax from the base to anchor the little red poke-a-dot candle. I have to confess, although I was going along with Starling’s request, I held minimal interest in learning the answer.  

Until, I lit the candle and the magic began.  We were both stunned to see a beautiful mandala manifest from light shining through glass and casting this equisite design before our eyes. We sat spell bound watching the flame flicker and I began taking pictures from various vantage points. Starling suggested we turn out the lights and the radiance of light and shadows danced with colors swirling in changing hues. What caught our eye next was an incandescent light reflected in the glass door.  This reminded me of a beacon of light streaming from a lighthouse offering safety in tumultuous times. Yet, all was calm in the surrounding quiet of this enchanted moment as time lay suspended.

The glow of the candle and the surrounding cloak of darkness invited intimacy and a deepening sharing from the heart. Starling began to tell me about a school friend that she was worried about and the reason why. I listened without getting hooked into fixing. Giving voice to her concern was all that was really needed.

To my amazement the candle burned for 40 minutes instead of a mere three minutes that I had anticipated. The sacredness of this experience lingers. As my granddaughter turns 11 years of age and grows independent, it is these moments are as pearls, sparks of the Divine to surprise and enliven our spirits.

I closing I am recalling this quote, “When we give of ourselves, nothing is truly lost”. When one candle lights another, its light is not diminished. The light given off together is greater than the light of one.” Unknown

(Quote is often attributed to different people and there is also reference in sacred text. In many faith traditions light symbolizes God or the energy of Love.)

Liz Sorensen Wessel