Colleen

“I know the end is the same; but it does make a difference how they turn to ashes, and how I spend my life. That log, with its one dull spot of fire, give neither light nor warmth, but lies sizzling despondently among the cinders. But the other grows from end to end with cheerful little flames that go singing up the chimney with a pleasant sound. It's light fills the room and shines out into the dark; its warmth draws us nearer, making the hearth the coziest place in the house, and we shall miss the friendly blaze when it dies. Yes,' she added, as if to herself, 'I hope my life may be like that, so that, whether it be long or short, it will be useful and cheerful while it lasts, will be missed when it ends, and leave something behind besides ashes.”
― Louisa May Alcott