The guiding light of the Fisgard Lighthouse at the mouth of the Esquimalt Harbour (near Victoria) first shone in 1860. It was the first permanent lighthouse on Canada's West Coast.

With the lighthouse on the left and the sweeping vista of the Olympic Mountains, the waters of Juan de Fuca Strait and a log strewn beach to the right of it (which unfortunately you cannot see in the square ... so close your eyes and imagine it), it is a magical place of beauty on earth. This is where you will find me on any given day of the year, sitting or laying in a log "fort", sheltered from the ocean wind, wrapped in a colourful quilt.

My only companions are the waves lapping quiety against the rocky shore, the distant greeting cry of seagulls, herons or eagles flying above and the bobbing heads of harbour seals coming up to say hello as they swim lazily back and forth in the water near the shore. My companions know that this is my special spirit place ... my place for meditation, inspiration and creation. They welcome me to this place where I come to read, think, dream, create, write or learn stories and every now and again, enjoy a small, but delicious afternoon snooze!

Being in this place, immersed in its quiet splendour and simpple beauty has taught me that stories are like lighthouses and the beacons of radiating light they cast out into the world each and every day.

Navigating our lives by the light of a good story can lead us to a safe harbout when the sea of life gets stormy, help us journey back to who we are when the way ahead seems misty or foggy, help us stand graceful and tall when the sun sparkles on life's gentle waves, look beyond the horizon and be awed by the beauty and colours of simplicity and inspire us to dream, create and love by its guiding light.

c2005 Sharon House