Lighting Candles

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Last weekend, I drew up plans for a simple sconce made from pallet wood and set my husband to work. I'm happy with the finished effect.

Walking through this world has been wearing me down lately. 

There is darkness.

There is hate.

There is a never-ending sense that we are all swimming upstream against a torrent of negativity and evil and no matter how hard we try 

to smile

to bring a kind word and a positive thought

to love one another

our efforts come to precious little.

I feel tired. Maybe you do too.

Let's give ourselves permission 

to slow down

to enjoy quiet comforts

to feel a little bit afraid.

But we must never stop.

Because we are making a difference. 

That's why we are tired. 

Changing the world is hard work.

Our task is not to give up. Nor are we asked to burn down the wicked world overnight.

What we can do - what we must do - is light a candle every day and let our tiny flames chase away the darkness. 

Let's be honest. I'm obsessed with candles and you'll find them burning all around my house. But I love most to keep one or two lit in the hallway, just inside the front door. And I imagine that every time I open my door, a tiny bit of light slips out into the night. 

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My project was inspired by this tutorial. Thanks for the great idea!