Chanukah

Ugh.

That is the way I felt this morning.  The weather outside is grim and gray.  It's as if Indiana is waiting on winter and forgotten about fall.  It is that ugly, brown time of year.  A beacon of sunshine peeking through a cloudy day seems pretty much amazing.

So I prayed and ran (which seems to be my solution for most things) and I cooked dinner for my parents and a few friends.  Another family, another adoption.  I know some pretty amazing people.  When I was over at their house, their shy preschooler told me that she wanted me to come back to visit and then told me that she loved me.  It was so sweet (even if she told me she wouldn't help her mom with the new baby).

Confession:  I am not Jewish.  Nor do pretend to me.  (Hence the reason I have a New Testament scripture as the title for my blog.)

But there is one Jewish holiday that I tend to like.  Chanukah.  I know, there are more important holidays in the religion, but there is something about this tradition that draws me in.  This year, I bought my first menorah.  It was made out of bike chain parts from a fair trade store 20% off.  It was a match waiting to happen.

I was so super excited about celebrating the holiday on Thanksgiving this year, I was borderline furious when I had forgotten my menorah.  (Not that a Mexican restaurant would have let us burn candles at our table without prior permission.)  The combination of the two holidays should not have been missed.

However, I pulled it out upon our return home Sunday.  I know, I don't do this thing right.  I really don't know what I am doing.  And it's not like my family will celebrate it with me every night.  So I lit all eight of the candles.  And began describing God's provisions for our family this year.

Here is what I got.

970.  My aunt and uncle were able to find appropriate housing in Swaziland after their initial one fell through.
971.  They were then able to find appropriate housing back in the States after that fell through.
972.  My uncle has been busy with contract work since returning home to the States.
973.  That our friends received enough money just in the nick of time to go to Kenya.*
974.  My sister's job fell through, only to have another one open up.  (For good reason.)
975.  That my sister and brother-in-law have a great church that they are attending.
976.  That my other sister's internship doors closed.
977.  That everything worked out for her to begin graduate school in a program that catered to her needs.
978.  That both her and her boyfriend have good friends where they are living now.
979.  Her boyfriend's new job (which he started this week).
980.  That my mom got a promotion this year.
981.  That my grandparents are in a great assisted living facility.
982.  That my employment has worked out in such a way, I could not have orchestrated it myself.
983.  That my cousin has suddenly had an immense amount of money provided to him for an upcoming trip to the Philippines.
984.  That my other cousin has found great ways to get plugged into ministry at his university.
985.  That my moving home with my parents was perfectly orchestrated just prior to them needing me.

Life's not perfect, but it sure is good.



*My mom quickly reminded me that they were not our family.  I reminded her that they were our church family and therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ.

Disclaimer:  I recognize that my celebration my be appear to be blasphemous   However, I am fully aware that I still serve the same God as the Jewish peoples and that he has provided for them as he has for people near to me.  That was really the point of my celebration.