It started one day when I heard that someone had asked for people to light their candles to show solidarity with their self-isolating neighbours.

I can’t remember quite how it became a thing I do every night. A few people seemed to appreciate it, and now the faithfulness they thanked me for has made me determined to keep it going.

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There have been questions; is the photo an optical illusion, do you really light it every night, why is it still the same size? It is real, I do light it every night, and now it looks like this:

For years now I have been mainly sitting in my house, wishing I could do something, anything to help somebody else. There have been many times when I wanted to get up and give someone a hand but haven’t been able to physically manage it. In another life, maybe I would have been the nurse holding the hand of someone struggling to breathe, or the social worker coming to the rescue of abused children, but right now, the one and best thing I have to offer is my candle and the prayers I say with it.

With my candle I say, I am standing with you, you are all my heroes. You are worth remembering and burning my finger tips for! One time I was walking towards the candle and I tripped spectacularly on the rug. It was the fastest fall-recovery I’ve ever done because I was on a mission to light my candle.

So, for the myriads of people I have named and those I haven’t got to yet, this candle is for you.

Thank-you for giving me a tiny purpose in all of this.