Hanukkah

In Hebrew, the word means "dedication". In any language, the story of Hanukkah is the story of a miracle. And ours is truly a God of miracles, so - while my family is Christian rather than Jewish - we do have a tradition that began in my childhood of commemorating Hanukkah one night each December.

Aidan & Savannah were fascinated by Grandma Cyndee's menorah

Davyn devoted himself to helping Grandma with the latkes (potato pancakes).

[Sidenote documentation of why I may not be taking my planned Christmas photo on Saturday. I had been waiting for the bruise/bump combo on his foreheard to heal. Then he simply woke up with that right cheek beauty on Thursday morning. Real life, people. Real life.]

So what do we do for Hanukkah?  Well, this year Cyn entertained us with some rather interesting dancing to some rather interesting, authentic music.  But mostly, we eat dinner (the menu varies, but the latkes are always there) and tell the story. 

A short version of the Hanukkah story:

Long, long ago (2200 years-ish), the Greek ruler Antiochus sought to force Greek culture on people in his territory. Jews in what is now Israel were forbidden to practice their most important religious rites as well as to study the Torah. Though they were significantly outnumbered, a group of Jews took up arms to protect their community and their religion. After fighting for three years, this group (led by Judah Maccabee) reclaimed the temple on Jerusalem’s Mount Moriah. Victorious, they prepared to rededicate the temple, but found only enough purified oil to kindle the temple light for a single day. The light, however, miraculously continued to burn for eight days.

The holiday is   …a reminder of a miracle

…a symbol of triumph against great odds

…a message about Rededication.

An inspiration to people of any faith, I say.  And it has my mind currently spinning around the word dedication..."complete and wholehearted fidelity"..."the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action."   What am I willing to fight for?  to die for?  and (sometimes even harder!), to live for?  This may continue to spin for a while, but I do know that there's most definitely room in my life for a little Rededicating.  Grateful - always - that ours is indeed a God of Miracles.

To read more about how we started celebrating Hanukkah, go here.

To read about the best modern Hanukkah miracle ever (a story involving a dog and a whole lot of chocolate), go here.