the ashes
It's Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lent season. TSO has been emailing this story to me for years now, a tradition of sorts, something I look forward to; the tradition continues as now I too send it out each year to all of my friends and close family. This year I also share it with you.
Taken from Jacob the Baker by Noah benShea.
"...It was Mr. Gold who counted time and eventually spoke first.
'Jacob, where do you find the strength to carry on in life?'
'Life is often heavy only because we attempt to carry it,' said Jacob.
'But, I do find a strength in the ashes.'
'In the ashes?' asked Mr. Gold.
'Yes,' said Jacob, with a confirmation that seemed to have traveled a
great distance.
'You see, Mr. Gold, each of us is alone. Each of us is in the great
darkness of our ignorance. And each of us is on a journey.
'In the process of our journey, we must bend to build a fire for
light, and warmth, and food.
'But when our fingers tear at the ground, hoping to find the coals of
another's fire, what we often find are the ashes.
'And, in these ashes, which will not give us light or warmth, there
may be sadness, but there is also testimony.
'Because these ashes tell us that somebody else has been in the night,
somebody else has bent to build a fire, and somebody else has carried
on.
'And that can be enough, sometimes.'
'Jacob, where do you find the strength to carry on in life?'
'Life is often heavy only because we attempt to carry it,' said Jacob.
'But, I do find a strength in the ashes.'
'In the ashes?' asked Mr. Gold.
'Yes,' said Jacob, with a confirmation that seemed to have traveled a
great distance.
'You see, Mr. Gold, each of us is alone. Each of us is in the great
darkness of our ignorance. And each of us is on a journey.
'In the process of our journey, we must bend to build a fire for
light, and warmth, and food.
'But when our fingers tear at the ground, hoping to find the coals of
another's fire, what we often find are the ashes.
'And, in these ashes, which will not give us light or warmth, there
may be sadness, but there is also testimony.
'Because these ashes tell us that somebody else has been in the night,
somebody else has bent to build a fire, and somebody else has carried
on.
'And that can be enough, sometimes.'
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