Yahrzeit

Today is February 19th. Today is the day I reflect upon loss, more than usual. Today, it is 25 years since my mother died barely six months after my father.

Today, I light a candle just like the one above and think about all those I have lost over the years. And I dwell on the memories of ones from the recent year. Some were people who I had lost touch with, one was a second father, and one was not because he died but because he had me die. None could I prevent and all left me wondering of what could have been. And this is what the historian confronts everyday. We are always missing someone.

The Yahrzeit candle only burns for 24 hours