Entry for Category 2: Prompt word CANDLE Luminaria Prayersby The Bard of New MexicoNOTE: Luminarias are usually brown or white paper lunch-type bags that you turn down the top of to form a stiff cuff, put two inches of sand in the bottom, and put a lit candle in the center. You line walkways, etc. with them to light the way for the Christ child…. The youth minister, Judy, surveyed the faces of her 50 kids. They had different ethnic backgrounds, but they had two things in common: they'd all gone through chaotic childhoods to date and their faces were red after setting up luminaries all day. Some kids looked sad and others set their faces in a stony look they'd learned in order to survive. Now, it was time to light the luminarias. “How many of you have someone you're going to miss this Christmas?” One preteen girl's hand hesitantly raised. Others soon followed. “Hold your candle, close your eyes, and think really hard about the person you're going to miss. You can silently tell them how you feel or you can pray for them and when you're done, light your candle and put it in the luminaria. Judy took her candle and closed her eyes. She could see her mother's face and hear her favorite, Franz Shubert's Ellens Gesang III - Ave Maria. “I miss you, Mom,” she whispered in her mind. A memory came back to her and a familiar voice reminded her, “Your loved ones will always be with you on Christmas.”
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