Meditation on a candle as the churn begins again

An Unfolding - Part 9

The wax, the wick, the flame, the candle.

Such light we need, we have, He is.

Repeat this as a prayer and mantra:

The wax, the wick, the flame, the candle.

In valley shadowed, dark and ill

Recall your prayers in times like this

The wax, the wick, the flame, the candle;

Such Light we need, we have. He Is.

- N.C-J

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A simple triolet for hard times. I originally came up with ‘line A’ in the year or so of near simultaneous converging of difficult incidents in my life — my brother’s illness, my mother’s death, and my ‘front-line’ work during Covid here in the DTES of Vancouver — all had me not in a good way. I began regularly reciting Psalm 23 to myself quite a bit to calm down, and at some point this candle image clarified itself to me. I’ve been wanting to turn it into something more full than just the one line, and the triolet fits well into how the words were helping me.

The pointing to Him outside myself, yet that he is already within me and indeed has also provided the light I need to see by.

I find myself in new need of His grace, protection, and care (and perhaps yours as well). There is fresh news of cancer in another family member, and it has thrown our lives into the churn once again.

Up in the air again; suspended on a highwire above crowded streets.

Balancing the need to get through each day by controlling emotions, while not veering too far into repressing and bottling them up to come out later, uncontrolled.¹

This exercise of weekly writing and reading here on Substack continues to help me process — thank you for all the support.

1. Or they don’t ever come out, but the cork leaks. Rot and seepage of what was bottled; a slow choking of vibrancy.