Images of light

This time of year it is really good to know that the days are getting longer. When the sun is out, one’s spirits feel lifted even when it is cold. That is why Vancouver is not so nice at this time of year - dark and rainy. I did not like the Toronto winters - there was not much snow and it was dreary.

At this time of year there are lots of Christmas lights around. Soon they will be put away for another year. I keep my Christmas tree out of its box until January 6 - the Feast of the Epiphany.

I like to use candles in my house. I have several that I bought a about a year ago and they lasted a long time. Someone said to me - maybe they were beeswax - they last longer.

I like the tea lights in this picture. One can buy a large bag from Ikea. They make for a soft gentle light. A few years ago they started to use these candles at St. John’s. That is a contrast from the traditional tall candles on large brass candlesticks.

I was impressed some years ago reading about Trinity Church Wall Street. Folks would stop to light a candle on their way to work in the financial district. That still seems to me to be from the more Catholic than Protestant tradition. Now the candles are lighted to remember 9/11.

From the service of Evening Prayer:
Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee O Lord; we pray: and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

When my mom was staying in the convalescent home in Lachute I would often leave early in the morning to drive home to Ottawa. I would wait until it was starting to get light.

Where I waited for the bus to go to work in the morning I was looking east. At a certain time of year, the sun was very bright.

My mom’s bedroom in Lachute faced east. Her first room in the nursing home faced exactly the same way.

It is interesting to watch news reports when there has been some local disaster. In many different religious traditions candles are lighted. This seems to be a universal way of remembering.