Day 10: Leave a light on

Every morning, my parents lit a diya, a small oil lamp, before the day began.

As a child, I barely noticed. It was part of the rhythm of our home, as ordinary as the kettle coming to the boil. Only later did I begin to understand.

The diya wasn't there because the house was dark. It was a prayer for goodness to enter. A welcome for anyone who crossed our threshold. And a reminder that each of us carries a light within us. One we have to tend.

I've spent much of my life doing the right thing so that people would see me in a good light. My parents were showing me something different.

The point wasn't to find the light. It was to keep it lit.

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The Loose Thread: Whose light are you helping to keep lit?