Candle Night in the city of Gouda, western Netherlands (image via poppiesandicecream.blogspot.
com)

Yesterday morning, a Dutch friend of mine who I met during my college years tragically lost his wife.  She passed away after being hit by a drunk driver on the morning of July 5, 2013.

During the days between the accident and yesterday morning when his wife passed away, my friend requested that his family and friends follow a Dutch tradition and light a candle in honor of his wife and in hope that she would recover.  Sadly, all of the well wishes and hopes in those lit candles were extinguished yesterday, when my friend’s wife drew her final breath.

Often, during tragic times, we long to see the beauty and bits of good in the dark reality.

In this instance, in my opinion, the candles lit by my friend’s loved ones, literally and figuratively, provided a source of positive light during this darkest of times.

To what kind of figurative light am I referring?  Love light, of course,  And, when it comes to love light, there are many spectrums.

Some have said that a mother’s love burns the brightest, but I’m certain that the familial love between other family members (including those of the furry kind), the passionate feelings between lovers, and the heartfelt feelings between friends can compete.   And, I would be remiss as a Christian to fail to mention who I believe to be the greatest source of love light, my Savior.

What do you think?  What kind of love light have you experienced in your life, and which flames have been the strongest?

For whom would you instantly light a candle?