The candle in the window - A Light for Wanderers & Spirits

Once, when roads were dark and the winters long, a single flame in the window was a sign for all who passed: Here is warmth. Here is watchfulness. Here is a welcoming door that will open to the weary - in flesh and spirit.

Historical from Ireland, to guide priests who were holding Mass in secret during times of religious persecution, it came to the USA with the Irish immigrants. 
From New England coasts to the rolling hills of Appalachia, a candle in the window became a quiet spell: 
- for travellers lost in snow and storm
- for loved ones away from home
- a symbol for the Holy Family, seeking shelter
- for the dead, finding their way by a familiar light.

It's both a lamp and a ward, welcoming what is blessed, turning away what comes unbidden.