In the last few days, I had four beautiful experiences that seemed filled with light. The first was on Friday, at our school’s annual pre-graduation ceremony called Poetry Night, an event at which candles have traditionally played an important role. Families and teachers gathered in the Music Room to hear a presentation of readings and music by the graduates, and what will always stay bright in my memory is the light from the candles that each student carried in. As they read poems and passages from the books we studied, the candlelight lent a soft glow to the room that complemented the luster of the students’ spoken words. Then there was the graduation ceremony the next morning, which was held in the brightly lit auditorium as a storm darkened the campus outside. Though many people were damp from the rain when they entered, I think we all quickly grew accustomed to the radiant atmosphere. At a graduation, all anyone pays attention to is how the honored graduates look, and they all seemed rosy with satisfaction and joy. The next rather dazzling experience was this morning, when I spent a few hours at my school with Noah and Jaimie. It was a perfectly lovely morning, with sunlight sweeping across the grounds and buildings and an enlivening breeze almost constantly brushing by us. We played in the enormous sandbox by the pre-K, and I remember thinking how beautiful even the old grimy toy trucks looked in the morning light, to say nothing of golden-haired Noah. And finally, at the end of my bike ride home from Mystic this afternoon, I stopped in the park where the Westerly Brass Band was giving a children’s concert. I stood in the shade and listened as the band performed “When the Saints Go Marching In”, and what I noticed most of all was the bright look of the sunlight on the golden trumpets and trombones. As children marched and danced in front, the instruments glowed in the light like things that were filled with power.