Last night Michael and I celebrated the first night of Hanukkah. We lit the menorah candles. We ate latkes and some candy we’d purchased for the holiday. We said the Hanukkah prayers. Three blessings are said on the first the night of Hanukkah. The last blessing is the one that made me pause.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.

Neither of us are Jewish, but I, at least, have found that lighting the menorah during Hanukkah to be a grounding and meaningful way to celebrate this time of year. In the times that we have been doing this, I have said the prayers with more of an emphasis on just saying the words correctly. More reflection has gone into the act of lighting the candles than the words being said. I realize this now probably because the previous years have been fairly easy. I have been taking these blessings for granted. Isn’t that just the way? When life is good, we take it for granted that it will always be good. Sometimes I think that I should be above that. That after all my losses, I would always remember that each day we survive is a blessing.

Today I give thanks for this reminder. I give thanks that we have survived and that this family has been lucky enough to survive this year without any losses.