"The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night." Exodus 13.21

The magazines I subscribe to are mostly filled with pictures. My reading time is devoted to books and newspapers but I enjoy the luxury of sitting down with a nice cup of tea and lulling over photos in a magazine.Yesterday I opened the first of a new subscription to National Geographic Traveler. This is definitely going to be a keeper….lots of great places to dream about, to enter into, to spend time with as a way of taking a small vacation from the ordinary day.

This month had a special feature on Appalachia. I looked at the beautiful photographs one expects from National Geographic and I allowed myself the pleasure of reading one of the articles about the Appalachian Valley, a place I know well. I was reminded of something I knew about this area of the country that has always held great meaning to me. Writing about the Tennessee Valley Authority’s damming of the rivers in the 1930′ s in order to create electricity for the people of these mountains, James Conway tells of the many people who were displaced by the construction and flooding. Those people who had lived in the same place since their ancestors came to this country from Scotland, Wales, England and Germany had kept the original embers of the fire that had glowed in their hearth from the first days. These embers were the center of the fires that warmed their homes decades later. When they were forced out or willingly left, many were known to have carried the embers of that fire to the next place they would live. They might have left their original home but they carried the fire of their ancestors with them to begin their new life on different soil.

It is a fascinating and comforting image for me. It is also a great metaphor for the fire of all we carry with us each day. Many of us carry the fire of ancestors, grandparents, who continued to tell us the stories of those who sacrificed much so we can now live in the ways we do. Others carry the fire of their faith with them, warming and continuing to uphold them on their life’s journey. Still others carry a fire of challenge given to them by those they may never have met but whose very lives have etched their thumb print on hearts now beating for justice.

Reading this article caused me once again to reflect upon the embers of my home fire and those who carried them through time, from home to home, from heart to heart. I pray I will always have the courage to fan that flame and keep that fire alive to pass on to my children and my children’s children.

What embers do you carry with you? What fire is at the center of your life that warms the core of who you are? How does that fire get passed from place to place, from person to person? In this time of changing seasons, it is something to consider.

"Thank you Father for your free gift of fire. Because it is through fire that you draw near to us every day. It is with fire that you constantly bless us. Bless this fire today. Make this fire a worthy thing. Let it become a reminder of your love. A reminder of life without end. " Masai Prayer