“A man’s true wealth hereafter is the good he does
in the world to his fellow man. When he dies,
people will say, ‘What property has he left
behind him?’ The angels will ask, ‘What
good deeds has he sent before him?’”
- Mohammed
When we were kids, we spent part of our summers in Canada. My father took the month of August away from the church to the woods of Central Ontario and the crystal-clear waters of Lake Joseph. These were memorable family times. There were no phones, no television; we just had each other.
The family property sat along the southern shores of Whalon Bay. Along that shore was a broad and bare granite rock that gently sloped to the water. It was a perfect place nestled in the woods to safely build a fire near the water’s edge.
We weren’t the only ones on the family property during those times. There were cousins with their own places on the sides of the bay and folks that often dropped in. When a campfire was announced, there was plenty of family and friends who showed up to cook hot dogs and roast marshmallows on small tree branches. While the fire warmed everyone, it was only the vehicle to bring us together. Sharing lives with one another was what really mattered.
In those days, I learned that the combination of graham crackers, Hershey's chocolate bars, and crispy marshmallows made the addictive treat called s’mores. The name suggested it all. One couldn’t (or didn’t want to) eat just one but wanted some more!
Eventually, on those chilly Ontario nights with clear starlit skies, the fire would begin to burn down, leaving embers that were pleasing to the eye but not quite enough to stave off the night chill. Folks would drift away one or two at a time to places of rest, satisfied for having had an evening well spent.
On the occasions I was last to leave, I watched those embers until they were nearly gone, pulling my jacket a little closer against the nippy night air. Finally, water bucket in hand, I doused the soft glow, leaving blackened ashes, the residue of a once brightly lit fire.
While these events are distant in my past, I've been thinking about those campfires...metaphors for the brightly burning glow of life warming me all these years. I've thought of so many people with whom I spent time sharing experiences, hopes, and dreams – remembrances that bring warmth to the chill of the approaching night air.
Some of those souls have drifted away; others are preparing to retire to their places of rest. And yet, the embers still burn, maybe not so brightly but nonetheless meaningful.
I am reminded of the quote by Lénonor d’Allainval...my life has been (and continues to be) “L’Embarras des richesses” (an embarrassment of riches).
Time is undoubtedly moving on. Nonetheless, I'm counting on the embers of my life to continue for some time to come. But I do find I’m pulling my jacket a little closer against the impending night air.
