"Let there be light." This line from the beginning of the most influential book ever written, contains so much meaning in very few words. I often try to imagine what it would have been to witness this very first light, breaking through the darkness. Was it a soft glow that grew into brilliance, or was it a blinding explosion that shattered the black, banishing it to oblivion? Either way, this verse holds great impact for the eyes and the heart. Being a candle maker, I know very well how a candle is made, how it burns, and what makes it burn its best and brightest. The soft light of candle glow has always been my favorite, and perhaps the reason why I started this craft in the first place. Since the beginning of Wind & Sage, I have not only learned about candles, but also been inspired by their symbol of hope, light, peace, and memory.
Have you ever been in a room that is completely dark? No lamps, no reflections, no battery lights, no exit signs... no stars. In complete and utter darkness, you can't even see your hand in front of your face. Darkness is also a symbol for many things; loneliness, grief, despair, loss. It can be overwhelming, crushing, even physically heavy. Everything is hidden, nothing is clear, and there is no way out. Without the light, we are completely incapacitated. If you have ever, experienced this (either with your eyes or with your heart) you know how crippling and scary it can be.
Now imagine the light of one candle, breaking that darkness. In a room where there is no light, it only takes one candle to illuminate everything. Even though the light is small, it makes a huge impact. The darkness is broken, fear subsides and peace returns.
While I could take this in so many directions, and have reflected many times about the symbolism of light and darkness, I want to focus now on what this has to do with our work, our products, and our mission. This starts with my personal experience, and what has brought me here. I myself have struggled with darkness in my own life. When I started this business, I was just beginning my journey of motherhood. I am adopted, and while I have the most loving family, I have struggled with fears of rejection and abandonment my entire life. I haven't been free to voice myself, which led to sexual assault and mistreatment in the past. The last few years I have experienced anxiety and postpartum depression, as well as debilitating chronic pain after the birth of my daughter. These are all the areas of darkness in my life. They have been so heavy, at times too much to bear. HOWEVER, I have also experienced a light breaking my darkness. I have experienced peace, joy, relief from pain, healing, and forgiveness. I have experienced a love greater than I ever could have dreamt up or imagined... One that loves me exactly for who I am, through these exact events that I mentioned before. Not only that, but this love brings a light that illuminates these events to be seen very differently; without these situations and everything from my past, I would not have been able to experience this love.
THIS experience of light crushing the darkness, healing it and transforming it, is exactly what I want to share with others. I have a soft spot in my heart for those that are abandoned, abused, mistreated, and voiceless. The greatest population who are all of these things and more, are the children of today's world. Whether they are living in poverty with extreme conditions of abuse and neglect, or simply trying to feel loved and valued in a society where innocence, youth, and dignity are being destroyed, I want to help them. I want to reach out to them, somehow, and I have felt called to do so. This is why we have made this commitment: to donate a portion of our profits towards charities that protect, defend, & nurture the dignity of children.
Our business is small, and our impact may be small in the grand scheme of things. However, we believe that if one small candle light can pierce the darkness, then so can we, with God's help.
Let there be light.
Monica Thoman
4/1/2024
"Charity must not remain shut up in the depths of the heart, for no man lights a candle and puts it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house. (Cf. Matthew 5:15). It seems to me that this candle represents the Charity which ought to enlighten and make joyful, not only those who are dearest to me, but all who are in the house." - St. Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul