Hanukkah 2014

Hanukkah begins tonight!  It's a holiday that we always learned about and observed in our own way as a family while we were growing up (minus the gifts), and it always started with a special meal on the first night.

Now, why would a Mormon family want to learn about Hanukkah?  Beside the fact that this is what my Mom and Grandmother always did, here are a few reasons why I do now too:

1.  First and foremost, Hanukkah is about miracles--one miracle in particular.  Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that God is a God of miracles and that He is still working miracles in the world today.  When our family celebrates Hanukkah, we take time to verbalize and thank God for the miracles we've seen in our own lives.

2. Hanukkah is the story of God's people, whom He expected to serve Him only.  As members of God's church on earth, we too are expected to have no other God's before Him.  When ancient Israel fell under foreign rule, King Antiochus demanded that the Jews stop worshiping Yahweh and worship Greek gods instead.  A group of Jews, called Maccabees gathered others around them and stood up to King Antiochus.  They refused to worship false gods.  As members of God's church, we too are striving to remain true to the faith.

3.  Hanukkah is also the story of a people who worshiped in temples.  Mormons too worship in temples, and God has outlined how this is to be done.  After the Jews defeated their occupiers, the first thing they did was cleanse the temple of the Greek gods/symbols that had been installed there.  In order to dedicate the temple, it had to be cleansed and set right.  We too worship God in His set and prescribed way.  More than just in temple worship, but in our personal lives, we must make every effort to make sure we are serving the Lord in His way.

4.  Only after they did all that was required of them to cleanse the temple did the Lord show forth a miracle.  They had cleansed the temple and were required to consecrate the oil used in the temple, but only had enough oil for one day.  The Lord allowed the oil to last eight days in order to complete this proceaa.  One personal lesson that can be drawn from this is that when we repent and return to the Lord, we must do all in our power to set things right before Him.  Then He takes us the rest of the way through His grace and the power of His Atonement until we are whole again.  This is the most amazing miracle that can happen daily in our lives.  And just in case you didn't know, Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament who was pre-mortally referred to by many names, one of them being Yahweh.  

Here's a little synopsis of how our dinner went this evening.  

I saw this recipe for a Hanukkah sandwich on NPR this morning, and it was a delicious as I thought it would be (although, I substituted the doughnut for a bagel--sorry!...I wasn't that adventurous.)  Note to my siblings who suffered through straight latkes growing up, this sandwich will surprise and delight you!  Even Honor loved it!

Next, I used the verbage on this website to help me tell the story of Hanukkah (which my children also learn about in school) in simple terms they could understand.

I added in my own perspectives and personal testimony as a Latter-day Saint and a follower of Christ as to why Hanukkah is important to me and why the Jewish people set a good example of faith for us.

Autumn lit the menorah.

Then we took turns talking about what a miracle is and each naming something that has happened in the last year in our lives that was a miracle.  

I am so grateful for all of my Jewish friends who celebrate Hanukkah and the various holidays/observances of their religion.  Seeing their faith helps my faith to grow as well.

Happy Hanukkah!!

To see what we did last year for Hanukkah, read this post. Or read my other post about why I like Hanukkah.

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Flicker Little Candles: Lighting the Menorah

All season long, our Scarlett has been singing this song that she learned at school:

"Flicker little candles,  flicker bright for Chanuka.

Sevivon go spinning, round and round for Hanukkah.

Flicker little candles, all eight nights of Hanukkah.

Sevivon go spinning, Hanukkah is here!"

We love to celebrate Hanukkah!

And while I'm never quite sure which spelling to use, we know what Hanukkah is about.  It is a time to stop and recognize the miracles that the Lord has performed in our lives in the last year and throughout history.

Growing up, our parents made sure that we observed Hanukkah (minus the gifts) and understood its significance.  Growing and learning under the influence of good parents, grandparents, and a seminary teacher who had a genuine understanding of Jewish heritage and God's dealings with ancient Israel, we have a special place in our hearts for our modern-day Jewish friends.

We also know that God still works miracles.  

My sister Cara, in particular, has a strong testimony of this, as she experienced some wonderful miracles in her life, due to her great faith.  But it doesn't take big and showy occurrences to recognize God's hand working in our lives. 

Since Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving night, Cara lead us (and her son Peter) in the lighting of her Menorah.  We then took turns, as we sat together as a family, sharing the miracles that we have seen in our lives this year.

The miracle that I shared, I have shared many times in the last month or so.  As I was seeing to all the details of this reunion/Thanksgiving week, I realized just how much food I was going to need to gather, prepare, and provide.  I thought, "Where in the world am I going to store this much food, for this many people, for a week?"  I realized I needed an extra freezer, and I immediately started writing a list of reasons (in my head) that I'd give to convince Steve to buy us one!

No sooner did I start thinking this did the thought enter my mind, "No, if the Lord wants us to have a freezer, he will provide one."

I put the entire issue out of my head, and forgot about asking Steve to get us a freezer.  Anyway, I had too much to do to dwell on that.

About a day or so later, I received a phone call from a friend.  She said that another family had moved and left their large chest freezer behind...would we like to have it?

All I could do was look upward and smile.  Of course.  Of course, the Lord would take care of this major detail for our special gathering.  He can part the Red Sea.  He can move mountains.  He can make oil last eight nights when there is only enough for one.  He can easily arrange for me to have a needed freezer.

The Lord doesn't always reach in and give us just what we think that we need in every situation.  But from time to time, his hand is obviously revealed.

Today, especially, I pray that the Lord will reach in and reveal his hand in a situation that I care very much about.  I hope that I can have the faith of a grain of mustard seed, and that the unchangeable, Father of us all, will work miracles in all of our lives.

Thank you, Cara for conducting this very meaningful part of our Thanksgiving evening!

Up next:  Thanksgiving Part V: The Candy Bar Game

PS - Almost forgot to mention...My sister Cara wrote a song a while back.  She put the words to My Gospel Standards to music.  I taught it to my children and together with some of her kids, we sang the song to her.  It is a special song to us, and she is a special person for creating something that my kids can use to feel confident in living their beliefs.  Thank you, Cara!

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Why I Like Hanukkah.

Growing up my mom and grandmother took a special interest in the people of the Old Testament.  So, we always celebrated on the first night of Hanukkah with a special traditional Hanukkah meal.  

I remember with fondness, lighting the little menorah that my Mom made out of cardboard and tin foil with Life Saver candies as "candle holders".  We ate potato latkes with applesauce and then donuts for dessert!  The best part was playing dreidel and using M&Ms as the "gelt".  During all of this my parents taught us what Hanukkah commemorates.  The word Hanukkah actually means dedication...as in the re-dedication of the temple in ancient Israel.

Yesterday, I pulled out a box of menorahs and dreidels that had belonged to my Grandmother.  She absolutely loved Jewish traditions and even made a trek to the Holy Land.  Inside the box, which I only recently received from my mom, there were newspaper clippings about Hanukkah, notes about the holiday in her own hand-writing, definitions that she had typed up, and other precious items.  I used her beloved collection to teach my children about Hanukkah, and I felt that she must have been pleased.

It's been a rocky December.

And as I type this, I have a raging headache.

Today, my car, full of groceries, broke down and had to be towed.

But even in the daily tremors of life there is a quiet, peaceful stability for people who believe in, look for, and remember the miracles that have been performed by the Lord in their behalf.  I hope to always be counted as one of those people.

Celebrating Hanukkah is just one way that I choose to commemorate the miracles that I have experienced in my own life.  And there have been many!

HAPPY HANUKKAH!!

PS - I woefully neglected to mention (I blame the headache!) that we also attended a wonderful Hanukkah Party at my neighbor Edye's house that night...It was awesome! 


Thanks again, Edye, for including us in your family's celebration!  It was very cool.

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