Light a Candle in Remembrance of Someone you Love – Advent Day 17
Gratitude //
This morning we started our day off by lighting a candle. We turned the tv off, turned the lights off, and lit a candle. We light candles often, but this one was different. I expected us to just light the candle and say a prayer and then go about our day. However, it became a rather emotional experience as we took some time to reflect, pray, and remember. On this 17th day of the AMAZING Holiday Advent Calendar, we hope you will join us in lighting a candle in remembrance of someone you love.
As we stood next to the candle with only candlelight in the room, all of a sudden our to do list escaped from our minds. The pile of laundry that we were folding and piled high on the ottoman was no longer visible… it was just Ryan and I, the candle, and God. We stood in silence for a few moments and tears just rolled down my face. They were tears of sadness and grief… but also gratitude and joy. We remembered those people in our lives who have passed (most especially PopPop and Nikki- a teammate of mine who had passed away when I was in middle school) and realized with joy how much they have truly shaped our lives. We prayed for those families who have lost someone unexpectedly during Hurricane Sandy and the Newtown School shooting last week. It takes us back to the days of Flight 800 in 1996, when 21 students and staff from our high school passed away on their way to a school field trip to France. We remember those images of people gathered and just holding onto one another. Sometimes there are no answers, just a reminder that life is incredibly precious and taking moments to come together and love is everything that we should have on our to do list!
This weekend, the candle on the advent wreath symbolizes joy. Through sadness and grief, sometimes it is hard to recognize joy. However, through reflection and remembrances of those you love, joy is certainly going to shine through! Today as you light a candle, turn the rest of the lights off and take some time in silence to recognize that joy that those who have gone before you have brought to your life and know that their joy is shining down on you every second of every day!