The "Flame of Passion"--A Poem I Wrote 25 Years Ago--Never More Timely

THE FLAME OF PASSION The flame of passion….. Never to lose it ourselves. Always to give it life in others. That inner spark, that inner drive, that mixture of faith and hope and confidence, that leads us to search and to risk, to discover and to achieve, to undertake what is most personal and sublime, and yet often most uncertain, too. Oh, how this is the way we learn and grow, and experience the joy of accomplishment beyond the norm. That flame of passion can be very vulnerable, even in the strong. Especially in one’s early years, subject to discouragement and scorn. But just as much it is in our power to give it life in those we know. How well I recall those who did that for me. Those who opened the door far and wide and set me free to pursue what I most believed. They fueled my flame of passion, of purpose, of confidence more than they will ever know. They made me a different person than I otherwise would have been. The flame of passion…. Never to lose it ourselves. Always to give it life in others.