You can legally spell Hanukkah any way you want. It doesn't change what this season means to me. The story whether real or embellished, myth or magic, is a very soulful story about hope.
I learned a few years ago about counting. I was in labor and some nurse said something like, "Contractions may last a minute..." she kept talking and I eventually learned that the sentence ended with "...or more and STOP holding your breath. You have to BREATHE!", but I learned that focusing and counting really do help me. I have become so obsessed with it that even when I run I have to time myself. Knowing that I need to do something for 3 minutes helps me have a goal. Counting helps me get through many difficult situations. Focusing on my breathing helps me run better too. Nurses are wise people.
The Hanukkah story is about counting also. We count the days that a group of Jews were locked inside their temple waiting for the end to come. We count the days that the oil that is used in the candles lasted, keeping the darkness away. We count the near misses, the what ifs, and the almosts. We count the children, the doughnuts, the presents. Everything counts and is counted. The real story to me though is the story of hope.The story of a group of people locked inside their temple waiting for their own demise and breathing.
They only wait because they have hope. Otherwise they would march right out there and look the enemy in the face and be destroyed. They wait because they don't want to die. They don't want to lose. They sit and simply breathe.
This year thanks to the media we have seen tragedy and loss. We have suffered emotionally with stories from all over the world. Maybe suffering with someone else for a little while takes our minds off of our own personal demons and enemies, but eventually we have to make a decision. Do we lock ourselves in our own temples, be they our minds, our schools, our homes, or our jobs; stand our ground and breathe, or do we simply pour out the oil, blow out the candles, open the doors and give up?
This season is about hope. A hope for something greater than us. A hope that through miracle or coincidence or scientific theory something will change. Something will call off our enemy. Something will happen to give us a glimpse of daylight. You may be struggling with things that I don't know about. You may be struggling with your spouse, your finances, your kids...your enemy could live 3 blocks from you or on the other side of the world. Your enemy may not have even shown his face yet, but I beg of you this: Keep breathing. Give yourself some time be it a day or 2 weeks...just count. Stand your ground and know that somebody is actually coming with a cavalry. Or maybe just a horse...but we can build a cavalry. You have to let us help. "We" are all the people that have built our own temples and have stood our own ground. "We" are those that love you and want to help you build or rebuild. "We" are everywhere.
Light your candle. Breathe. Count. Just don't give up. (TWLOHA)
http://suicidehotlines.com/national.html
http://www.twloha.com/vision/
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