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This is the time of year when darkness creeps

up on us while we are still in the midst of our

daily activities.  The night tends to linger even

after we set out for the next day.

I was looking out of my window on Saturday

night and noticed the world covered in snow.  

This thrilling sight got me thinking… the

shortest day…the longest night… it should be

so dark outside. But, it wasn't. Instead the

world as I saw it was covered in a magical

white blanket.

The lush snow covered the trees, the grass, the

walkways, and the roads.  What it sheltered most

powerfully was the blackness of the night.

Snow only falls during the time when the light

of the day is almost non-existent.  It is now when

we naturally hibernate. What is its teaching?

I speak to friends and a theme seems to emerge

during the winter months. People are taking cover,

they are going deep inside… This journey usually

brings healing, but before it does that, there is

pain and a deep sense of aloneness, a groping in

the dark.

We fear this fumbling process, this inner reflection. 

We may find ourselves running towards things that

make us forget who we really are.  This chill that we

so dread, the frost that we are hiding from, is the

same cold that creates the snow that envelopes our

world with brightness.

Within each of us lies the power to bring forth this

light that will automatically dissipate the night.

We are players in this game called life. Each one

of us has a job to do, a specific task that is uniquely

our own.  When we tap into being ourselves, when

we listen to that still small voice inside, and follow

its direction, we ignite a flame –

the candle of our soul.

This glow has the force to melt away the darkness,

to remove the shadows that haunt us. It shines

within us illuminating not only our path, but also

the paths of those with whom we come in contact.

They too feel its strength and surrender to its

radiance.

I will leave you with a blessing that my mentor

gave me today:

“May you notice your own light as you kindle the

candles this Chanuka.  May you acknowledge the

gift that you are to the world, and may you step

more fully into that brightness.”

Chanuka Somayach
Happy Hannukah
Chani