The Eight Nights of Hanukkah

I know, I know, I'm not Jewish, but I love Hanukkah. Many years ago I got the chance to spend some time studying in Israel. After that I took some Jewish History and comparative religion courses in college. Since then I decided to celebrate Hanukkah in my own way. I bought myself a Hanukkah menorah, and I light the candles when I remember. I love Hanukkah because it is the celebration of a miracle. The Jews were able to fight off their oppressors and retake the temple. It had been desecrated by the conquerors. The Jewish people were devastated by the state of their holy place. They cleaned it up the best they could and re-lit the lamp that was supposed to be continually burning with a special oil. There was only one days worth of oil and it would take eight days to make more. But that oil burned for all eight days until the supply could be replenished. That is why there are eight days of Hanukkah, and why they light candles. So each night this last week we lit the candles and talked about the miracles in our life. On the first night I asked Anna if she could guess what I was thinking was the biggest miracle in our lives. She guessed right and said, "me!" (not a modest child). Then she said, "I'm a miracle because all the other babies didn't make it, but I did, and Heavenly Father knew you couldn't be a lady without a baby." Well, I cried, and I marveled at our little miracle who understands a great deal more than I thought she did. The rest of the week as we watched the candles burn we talked about all of you, our family and friends - the miracles in our lives. So, have a very happy Hanukkah and celebrate all the wonderful miracles in your life!