That Little Candle
“How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”
I’ve seen good deeds all around the last several weeks (and months).
Not from people seeking approval or accolades, just normal humans caring for their fellows. I thought I would share a few, because we all know that the light of one little candle can throw its beams into the darkness, making it less scary and maybe even cozy or intimate. But when you put lots of those little candles together, those beams become a wide blazing ray of hope, showing the way for those who are lost.
One of those little candles was my dad, who despite his advanced age and creaky joints, got down on the floor under my daughter’s bathroom sink and disassembled all the pipes to find a clog and fix a leak. He forgot his glasses and said he couldn’t see what he was doing, but he did it anyway. He just wanted to help out his granddaughter in any way he could, even if it meant downing some anti-inflammatories afterwards.
Another little candle was my friend Debby, who spent last Thursday sitting with her mom at home while her dad went to the hospital for a heart procedure. She knew her mom would be nervous and on edge waiting for results, but was unable to go to the hospital in light of current pandemic standards. So Debby took her little dog and helped her mom pass the time waiting for her dad to be treated. (Fortunately, all went well, and her dad is back home now).
Or my friend Terri, whose mother-in-law is currently undergoing hospice care at home, bedridden and in pain. Most days either Terri or her husband are stopping by, bringing treats, spending time reminiscing with her, and just being present with her to ease her last days on earth.
My husband did something similar for one of our neighbors who was suffering from dementia and nearly total hearing loss. Over the last few years, even though our neighbor couldn’t hear and often didn’t remember who my husband was, they would walk down the road or pick up leaves and sticks in the yard together, our neighbor regaling Dave with the same hunting and fishing stories he had told a hundred times before. My husband never interrupted or got impatient, he simply walked with our neighbor and made his day a little brighter with his companionship. Sadly, our neighbor passed away this week, but his stories will carry on - every time we see someone with a fishing rod or a hunting bow, we’ll think of him.
These are our own little angels walking the earth. You might not see those wings, but they are there.
The Shakespeare quote at the beginning of this blog is from The Merchant of Venice, spoken by Portia, the heroine of the story, and the character who showed Shylock the error of his revengeful ways. She didn’t castigate or demean him in the process - in fact, she agreed with his need to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio to serve the letter of the law, but then showed him what the letter of the law really means if you apply it to everything in your life:
In a word, folly.
Another great quote about being one tiny flame making a difference is from the Bible, Matthew 5:15: “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house.” I like it even better the way it is conveyed in the translation called The Message:
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives.”
The phrase “God-colors in the world” is what gets me. We all are not the same kind of candle, but we all have a light. Maybe yours is pumpkin spice in a jar (there are lots of those around these days), or maybe its a multi-colored neon laser beam. It doesn’t have to be big or flashy or look like anyone else’s candle (but if it does, that’s ok, too). The point is that it is inside you, meant to be shared. It can be a flashlight shining in the dark for a minute so your partner can find their matching socks, or it can be a spotlight illuminating your favorite artists busting out the show of their lives.
The more diverse the lights and the more creatively they are used, the more everyone on the planet benefits.
Has your candle thrown out any beams lately? Has anyone shined a light for you? Please share and let’s brighten up the world!
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