My Reflections

After building a fire in my fireplace today, I sat directly in front of it and watched the wood blaze from the continuing consumption of the fire. Immediately, I thought of Jason and Sara Morton, characters from Eudora Welty's short story, The Whistle. Remembering the silence of their understood relationship, I drifted into another world. I understood why Jason would quickly scrimmage to remove wood items from the household and place them in the fireplace, in order to continue the warmth, escaping from the fireplace to swallow the cold air. Understanding how the fire fed Sara's appetite for warmth, I am sympathetic to Sara drawing her legs up to her chest to preserve the memory of the warmth. The fireplace for me is a symbol of removal. As the fire burns, Jason and Sara remover their differences and become enveloped in the resilience of each flame. The burning of the wood swept away their current economic status. Igniting their memories of a flourishing past, the fire amazingly burns a hole into their current gloom and illuminates the prosperity they once held. Being snapped back to my current reality, I am once again aware of the golden image of each flame. As pray for the removal of my current grief and sorrow, I remember Jason and Sara Morton.