Members of the Association of Cancer Online Resources started an annual Candle Lighting Ritual to remember those lost to Mesothelioma and Asbestos Related Illnesses. They have scheduled the Candle Lighting for this Sunday, December 16th between 7pm – 8pm. They hope to have candles burning in each time zone for the entire 24 hour period. I’ve included the guideline and script they suggest using. I hope we are all able to take part in this special ritual to honor and remember our loved ones.

 

"As we light these four candles in honor of you, we light one for our grief, one for our courage, one for our memories, and one for our love."

 

LIGHT THE FIRST CANDLE "The light of this first candle represents our grief. The pain of losing you is intense. It reminds us of the depth of our love for you."

 

LIGHT THE SECOND CANDLE "The light of this second candle represents our courage to confront our sorrow, to comfort each other, to change our lives."

 

LIGHT THE THIRD CANDLE "This third candle is a light to all of our memories of you. To the times we laughed, the times we cried, the times we were angry with each other, the silly things you did, the caring and the joy you gave us."

 

LIGHT THE FOURTH CANDLE "This fourth candle is the light of our love. As we go forward, day by day, we cherish the special place in our hearts that will always be reserved for you. We thank you for the gift your life brought to each of us. We love you always."

 

The recommendation of Hope for the Holidays is that, if we do this with others present, we can ask the others if they want to share something about the missing loved one after all the candles are lit.