Saturday, January 5, 2013

The Profound Power of THE Flame

Just what is it about the power of a flame?

The last thing I emptied from my car prior to heading to help salvage some family history and some of my own history in NJ was to place the bonfire wood I got from Bill Holder out for neighborhood grabs.
Was planning to have a bonfire on the beach in November 2012 but because nothing is more permanent than change, had to give up that little stash of kindling.  Just love bonfires and once in while driving home by Aliso Beach in the evening we will just stop and enjoy the sight of bright fires on a dark night with the the melody of the ocean in the background. Mm mm good!

As a kid, candles lit on our dining room table and made our meals so ceremonial! Candles across Atlantic Avenue at Saint James Church made our prayer time more sacred.  Fires in our "6404" fireplace made our cold winter nights warm and cozy.  Lit candles on our birthday cakes always made us a bit breathless just as fire works did on the 4th of July.  ( For my kids, Don and Marion, occasionally I would light a candle for small meals, even if we were only having a tuna fish sandwich!)

The seven day candles in Old Serra Chapel in San Juan Capistrano made our family have hope in hard times and allowed us to give others hope by lighting a special candle for them. The iron workers out on the Mission grounds made useful tools with their fire, just as the Mission's ovens modeled from Spain's 13th century ovens were used making Capistrano the place where technology began in California.

Whether it be at the Kris Kringle night time markets of Europe, the fire dancers of the South Pacific or the flames that attract fish to the fishing boats in Asia, the warm candlelight of Chestnut Hill College's chapel, fire, when used for good, makes us feel incredibly good.

Whether it be the huge torches along the night beaches of Waikiki or simply a tiny tea candle in a jam jar hanging from a tree or placed by a flower in the center of the table during evening cocktail time, fire can make a serene lovely night lovelier.

But just what is it about the magnificently PROFOUND POWER OF THE OLYMPIC FLAME...

Montreal 1976 Olympic Flame
There is not one person that I know that has not been profoundly moved by the Olympic Flame. 

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