Welcome to FridayLight

I am sometimes away on Friday nights and have lit up in all sorts of strange locations from Fiji (in our room) to London—where I had to dash to the hardware store to buy candles.

Last week was one of the strangest. I found myself in a non-smoking hotel in San Francisco so could not ask for matches. I went to Walgreens for water—-and forgot to ask for matches. It was candle lighting time as I headed back to the hotel and I was trying to figure out what to do……then I remembered that the Grace Anglican Cathedral across the way from the hotel and an interfaith chapel with candles, NO crosses etc, and pieces of the AIDS quilt (I am a quilter). So I went over there. The main part of the cathedral was closed for a concert. Luckily no one stopped me en route to the interfaith chapel as it is near the entrance. I lit two candles, said my blessing, meditated, admired the quilt panels and what had gone into them, calmed down and left.

I am not Jewish, and still light the shabbat candles - a practice which was introduced to me through Jewish friends. My family enjoys the consecration of this time, and our prayers are to bring the powerful forces of peace and sanctity into our home and on to the planet. I think it’s a wonderful idea that women hold this light together throughout the world, regardless of faith. We are all connected through G-d, and every one of us can contribute to this blaze of love.