Candles from Mom

Well, I'm back "up" ... Sunday through Wednesday (2 days ago) my house was without power ... and here I was almost going through withdrawals from not having Internet access.

The reason I was down is the same reason that most of Eastern Oklahoma, plus parts of Kansas and Missouri, were down as well ... due to a severe ice storm that has left enormous damage to trees, bushes, poles and powerlines ...

I really have no reason to not feel very, very grateful, though: so many were far worse off than me. And so many are still far worse off: many still have no electricity.

No power means for most of us no heat ... in subzero temperatures.

I kept warm by using lots of blankets ... including blankets that Mom had gotten years ago.

And I kept lights burning by using candles ... candles that Mom had collected and saved over the years.

Mom learned to hang onto candles a long time ago ... when we were overseas, living in Libya, power outages weren't all that infrequent. And we would use candles till lights were restored.

After returning to the States, Mom kept saving candles. There was a whole shoebox full of candles on a bottom shelf of one of her cabinets here. And there were two brass candle holders made for carrying candles ... you know, the kind you see in the movies, the kind that Scrooge held in his hand when walking through his dark house at night.

So yes ... yet again ... yet again indeed ... Momma has been taking good care of me.

Thank you Momma.

I love you Momma.

I love you Lord Jesus.

Please please please take good care of my Momma, Jesus.

Charles Delacroix
Feast of St John of the Cross