It looked like any other unfortunate night when I was “stuck” at home due to car difficulties. I surrendered to that fact early on and made the choice to create something unique in this night, something far reaching and soulful.

I decided to build another fire in my fireplace tonight.

It was like sending an invitation to the flame sisters of serenity and heat . I sat there for hours, watching the wood burning, tending it and learning from it.

Samuel sat on the floor next to me, writing.  He would occasionally share with me what he was scribing, but most of the time he tended to letters and words, I imagined recreating whatever he was working on in Mrs. McSparron’s kindergarten class.

Katherine and Emma watched “High School Musical” in a different

part of the house.  During commercials Emma climbed onto my lap to look

into the flames, to come to know what they had

to tell her.

“So strong, so beautiful, so dangerous yet we are safe,” she said thoughtfully.

“The fire stays in the fireplace and we are safe,” she added

I nodded and stayed silent.

There was so much to take in, watching and enjoying the heat.

There were several times when I left the fire untended. It looked as if the fire was spent. I

rearranged the embers, gave them space and breath and some special care and viola, life returned. 

Flames, resurrected.

I felt incredibly satisfied in my creative accomplishment as silent, sacred fire tender.

Emma wrote a poem:

How passionate the fire is

The fire is like burning your heart

With Creativity, flow…..

Comforting the feeling

When the warmth

Hits my face

Its almost like my eyes

Can only look at it

Its freaky how something

Ordinary can be

So beautiful so peaceful

So graceful

So calming……..

= + = + = +

It turned into the most fortunate night I have spent in months. I stood at that place of choice and saw the wonder of the circumstances. From there, miracles were forged.

I could have stayed angry at my “misfortune.” Instead, I looked at the evening as a divine appointment. It is like Storm Jameson wrote, “The only way to live is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle, which is exactly what it is: a miracle and unrepeatable.

© 2006

Julie Jordan Scott