Some thoughts from Lauren Winner's Mudhouse Sabbath, a little jewel of a book about Christian and Jewish spiritual practices, on candle-lighting:

"Even though - or perhaps because - literal illumination is as easy as, well, the flip of a switch, there's something remarkable about a candle. There seems to be no surer way to sacralize time or space than lighting a candle, and no quieter quiet than the silence of candlelight."

"Candles seem to create peace. You don't find candles lit in frenetic houses; you find them lit in houses where people are trying to pay attention."

"I like to keep [candles] lit whenever I am home. Even when I am just lighting two thin tapers over dinner, I like to think about the light of Christ rectifying the sin by which came death to the world. The Light of Christ, I sometimes say to myself. Thanks be to God.

Thought-provoking and beautiful. And true in the very best sense.

I think I'll light a candle when I get home tonight.