Golden

Once a year, my beautiful sister Lara makes these amazing candles with her own hands. She gets huge blocks of beeswax from local honey farmers and performs some sort of magic which involves heating and purifying the wax before molding it into the most delicate and intricate shapes; filigree spheres, tall morel mushrooms, flower petals pressed into the sides.. each one is absolutely unique and lovely.

She makes them with such love, gives them carefully and deliberately with gracious hands. I don't know if everyone else in the family anticipates them as much as I do, but I am telling you the truth when I say that I would be perfectly happy if the only gifts I ever received from her were these golden candles.

One year she discovered that I had been hoarding them instead of putting them to use. They were lined in a drawer. I couldn't bear to burn them, but protected them instead, saving them for an occasion when it would be right and they would be essential to the experience.
I said I wanted to burn them in my home, and wasn't sure exactly where that was going to be.
Since moving into the house a few weeks ago, I have suddenly felt the urge to use them.

And their strong-sweet honey fragrance has filled these rooms with the love of my sister.
Two of my favorites are still saved, waiting for one more special occasion. On our wedding day they will be lit along with many other (more ordinary) candles, adding their special kind of light to the symbolic beginning of our new home.