Sundown Brings Light (Happy Hanukkah!)
This evening, the local Chabad House held a public menorah lighting at nearby Marcus Point. It was the first time for such an event, and I made sure to be there. Hanukkah is always bittersweet for me; I have very fond memories from childhood, but no one in my family celebrates save me. It's rough, because it *is* a family holiday. Normally, you won't find a public service, because-- while Hanukkah is the only mitzvah that should be observed by the outside world (hence the menorah in the window)-- it's ceremony that is more about the home, and the people who compose that home.
It was extremely cold, especially as the sun went down. In true Ohio fashion, the rain couldn't quite commit, and was just shedding a fine mist. When the Rabbi lit the shamash candle (the middle, or 'helper') on the giant menorah, the two little boys standing in front of me began a fierce debate as to whether or not it would stay lit. The flame shrank and guttered. 'It's already out!' one of the boys cried. The adults standing around where all watching a repeating the blessings, but there was a certain amount of tension. Being the first such public event, everyone wanted it to go well.
'No,' said the smaller boy, 'it's just blue and hard to see.' Sure enough, a few minutes later, the flame grew enough to light the candle for the first night. A little sigh rippled through the crowd.
I guess I just wanted to wish you guys a Happy Hanukkah, whether you celebrate it or not. It's about bringing light into the world, like the light of a street lamp on a cold night. It makes that circle against the darkness-- if you're lonely, you may feel like you only get to stand on the very edge of the illumination. But even standing with just your toes in that lucent pool is better than being swallowed up by the dark. My friends are part of what makes my life bright. Thank you, all of you, for being amazing people. ^_^ I don't know what I'd do without you.
I know a lot of people who are going through a tough time right now-- myself included. The holidays are wonderful, but they're also very stressful. Machiavellian family politics, enormous demands at work, the pressure to find the right gift... Whether you believe in G-d, any god, or no god, I think the desire to come in out of the darkness is something primal for human beings. It doesn't matter if the flame represents nothing more to you than an instance of combustion in which fuel is burned; you are all welcome by my fire.
*hugs*
-Meredith
It was extremely cold, especially as the sun went down. In true Ohio fashion, the rain couldn't quite commit, and was just shedding a fine mist. When the Rabbi lit the shamash candle (the middle, or 'helper') on the giant menorah, the two little boys standing in front of me began a fierce debate as to whether or not it would stay lit. The flame shrank and guttered. 'It's already out!' one of the boys cried. The adults standing around where all watching a repeating the blessings, but there was a certain amount of tension. Being the first such public event, everyone wanted it to go well.
'No,' said the smaller boy, 'it's just blue and hard to see.' Sure enough, a few minutes later, the flame grew enough to light the candle for the first night. A little sigh rippled through the crowd.
I guess I just wanted to wish you guys a Happy Hanukkah, whether you celebrate it or not. It's about bringing light into the world, like the light of a street lamp on a cold night. It makes that circle against the darkness-- if you're lonely, you may feel like you only get to stand on the very edge of the illumination. But even standing with just your toes in that lucent pool is better than being swallowed up by the dark. My friends are part of what makes my life bright. Thank you, all of you, for being amazing people. ^_^ I don't know what I'd do without you.
I know a lot of people who are going through a tough time right now-- myself included. The holidays are wonderful, but they're also very stressful. Machiavellian family politics, enormous demands at work, the pressure to find the right gift... Whether you believe in G-d, any god, or no god, I think the desire to come in out of the darkness is something primal for human beings. It doesn't matter if the flame represents nothing more to you than an instance of combustion in which fuel is burned; you are all welcome by my fire.
*hugs*
-Meredith