This quote may have appeared after 9/11, but I stumbled upon it in the middle of 2020, another dark time. It has been rolling around in my brain ever since. A torch, whether it is kindness, a good word, a helping hand at a tough time, means a great deal. You don’t notice a lit torch on a bright summer day, but in the dark… that’s another experience altogether.

The idea got me thinking about people in my life. Who has carried a torch? Who has a fire extinguisher ready to douse the light? I believe this idea has resonated with many of us since the pandemic began and the world so drastically changed.

I’m grateful that my torch bearers have far outnumbered those who brandished fire extinguishers. During the past year and a half, I’ve been lucky to have supportive friends and family to carry torches. I’m not surprised, but it has made me appreciate them all the more.

Also, small acts of kindness from strangers at just the right time have lit up my days – a thoughtful gesture that I needed at that moment, made my life easier. The torch is the flicker of hope you feel rise within you, when you feel hopeless and someone makes the world a little brighter with their actions.

Have you thought about the people in your life who been torch bearers and those who have been fire extinguishers? Have you thought about which one you have been and to whom?