“A single candle will do,” I replied.

That night Clarence admitted he had been afraid of becoming dependent.

He had watched friends lose their independence and feared that accepting assistance would make him a burden everyone quietly resented.

“I was so intent on proving I could still give something,” he said, “that I didn’t notice how much I was asking everyone else to carry.”

I put his folded blanket over his knees and sat down.

“There are many ways to contribute.