The romantic in me has always loved candlelight.  The realist in me knows that is simply not practical on a daily basis just from a safety standpoint alone.  I like to burn one large candle for scent in the fireplace where it is protected.  Once there was this horrid stench and it turned out the cat singed her tail from the candle I had been burning on the coffee table.  Not only was I worried about her, it definitely negated the pleasant smelling atmosphere.  Then I discovered these realistic looking candles that flicker but do not burn.  They are the same “candles” used at the Disney theme parks.  I have three sets of taper “candles” (silver, blue, and orange) plus a set of green pillar candles.  They stay on and bring me an immense amount of pleasure.  Plus I never have to worry; they’re completely safe and battery operated.  I have always liked gas lights on the outside of homes and they have just come out with electric “candles”!!!  Now either side of our front door flickers and we’re not harming the environment!  And I also have them in our entryway chandelier!  I just love them.  The Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Edith Wharton once wrote, “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”  I think that’s lovely.  It reminds me of the Christ candle at church.  He is the light of the world and Christians are called to carry and spread that light as well as emulate Christ’s actions in the way we treat others.  Maybe we cannot always be the candle, but we can certainly strive to be a reflection of its flickering flames.