Light a Penny Candle

It has been a full on weekend, with more than 20 of my extended family having arrived for a couple of days to help me celebrate my birthday - it wouldn't usually be so dramatic but its a half century this time so called for something more. It has been fantastic having everyone here, and catching up with those I don't see often enough.

Once they'd gone though, and I settled back into being just the cat and I, I got thinking about the 29 Pike River miners who are trapped only a couple of hours from here. The very idea that it could have been one of my precious family members made me realise how different this weekend's celebration could have been for us.

I lit a candle for the miners and my feelings and hopes go out to them and their loved ones.