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Sharing the light of Hanukkah

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What a wonderfully blessed week I am having! Tuesday night my husband and I lit the first candle of the Hanukkah menorah celebrating the miracle of Hanukkah. This week, two amazing teachers at the school where I am employed, entrusted me to give small presentations of how our family celebrates Hanukkah to their individual classrooms. Teaching tolerance and an appreciation of others, who are different from us, is important to them, and huge in my life. We are extremely blessed to live in an amazing country of beautifully diverse cultures here in the United States of America!

Latkes (potato pancakes), dreidels, music, and chocolate gelt were all part of the festivities. The students were incredibly polite, curious, and receptive to my little party. The highlight of my presentations were when certain students (who at first crinkled their nose to the idea of the latkes) tried one, and then kept asking for more! That's one of the incredible things I love about my job. Seeing the wonder and joy on children's faces when they take a chance, try something different, and find to their enjoyment that they actually like it! You can see the sparkle of success and pride radiating from their faces! It's a feeling of positive empowerment that even small bodies can and should experience.

We as adults could gain and grow incredibly if we would just "replug" into that pure, natural, God-given gift -- curiosity. So often we just continue to go through life with the way we've been "programmed" by our life-time experiences, to just keep to our ways and go through life with a narrow vision. I challenge you.

With the beginning of the brand-new year, I challenge you to open your heart to the wonder and diversity that is all around us. Rather than being judgmental and negatively critical of other peoples' ideas and cultures, try embracing the diversity. Try something new. You just may be able to "unlock" the secret to eternal youth!

Tonight, we light the 3rd candle of the Menorah. Each night, with the addition of a newly-lit candle, the light magnifies and grows. We believe the light is our soul.  For myself, I pray to increase my unique, personal light with deeper compassion, ears to better listen, tolerance of others, and increased health and wellness. Especially, I pray to emanate loving kindness. And I pray for each and everyone of you to have a blessed Holiday season.

With love! L'Chaim!
Sandra Freedman


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