"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit"

Everyone knows the dimming that arrives without warning: motivation fades, wonder blinks out, and what once felt alive grows dull. That lull is not a failure of character but a part of being human. Fires, even inner ones, require tending; they do not burn purely by will. The saving surprise is that renewal often comes from outside ourselves. A conversation, a gesture of trust, a sudden understanding in another’s eyes, these can relight what we cannot kindle alone.

That spark is rarely dramatic. It might be someone remembering your name when you felt invisible, a colleague who says your work mattered, a friend who sits through your silence without demanding cheer. Their presence becomes oxygen. They lend you their belief until your own returns. In this way, hope reveals itself as relational: it moves between people, passed along like a candle’s flame.

Gratitude is the fitting response. Thankfulness names the truth that we are sustained by others’ generosity, teachers, neighbors, mentors, even strangers whose kindness arrived at the right hour. Remembering them shapes how we carry ourselves. It softens judgment, deepens patience, and keeps us from imagining we are self-made.

There is also a quiet calling here. If other people lit your fire, you can become a keeper of matches for someone else. That doesn’t require grand solutions. Listen well. Notice what is strong in them and say it aloud. Share your own story of getting through the dark. Offer time rather than advice when answers are unclear. Respect their pace. Small acts are not small when someone is cold.

We occupy both roles across a lifetime: the one who needs warmth and the one who provides it. Accepting that interdependence is not weakness; it is wisdom. When the embers falter, seek out good company. When you are burning bright, make space around your flame. In that exchange, the inner spirit learns to endure.