…since I last posted. I lost my wife just over six months ago and I have felt as if I’ve been at the bottom of a deep dark hole ever since. I have hardly put together a sentence although I now have all the time in the world to write. However, I am trying and this post is my first step in that direction.

This picture has special meaning for me. As my wife and I had both gotten older, one of our favourite things to do in the evening was to light a load of candles and then, in the snug warmth of their glow, we would talk. We had been together over thirty years but we could still talk for hours on end. Many of the plots for my books came out of these candle lit discussions. I miss that.

I have been keeping up with the news while trying to ration myself in case I get too depressed. Too many people in the public realm these days think that it’s okay to spread hate and to do this via vicious lies. They don’t even pretend anymore. I don’t need to name them, we all know who these people are. They thrive on hate and division because it stokes their egos. They are very sad and very empty people, all of them.

When you lose someone, the reality that life is short really hits home. You might think that you understand it but, with a death, the understanding is brutal and down to the bones. So, when I see these people frantically parading around the media and spitting out their bile and lies, I really do feel sorry for them. Life really is short. If all you can do with your time is to hate, a truly destructive emotion, then what’s the point of you being here? For me, the only point in being alive is to strive to leave the world a better place when I go. The changes you leave behind do not need to be earth shattering, the little things such as remembered kindnesses and the happy moments shared with others is enough.

A lot of small changes can add up to something truly significant. There is a point on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, known as the Camino, where people bring a small pebble and leave it at the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross) which is the highest point on the route. They bring a pebble from home and leave it there for many reasons, often to remember a loved one or as a form of healing. As you can see, there’s something of a hill there now all made up out of these small prayers and wishes.

Life is short. Leave a better world behind you. There is an old saying that sums this up –

‘It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.’

Light your candle now.