A Celebration of Light


Hanukkah is here. I have been lighting candles. New Mexico is very dark at night. The sky is clear and you can see light from very far away. I love seeing the candles as I stand outside and look in the house. Today Harold is up on the roof putting the reindeer up. You can see them from all the way down the street. It makes me smile when I come home at night.

This month is the time of deepest darkness. We have these special days, days of celebrating that even in the darkness, a tiny spot of light can be seen. Many folks have wobbled and relapsed this month. And the feelings of relapse are always the fear and desperation that we all know so well. Christmas filled with sugar and treats is a double edged sword. We think those things are such a part of celebrating and that just a little won't matter. We think we will just *celebrate* and then January first we will once again make the resolve to clean it up and do it.

Today, I am going to invite you to try something new. Do not wait until January first, but today start holding the idea of light coming. Each choice we make can build more light. And connecting here to others who are committed and willing and gaining skill is a mighty tool. The loving and funny conversations on the forum will support you and hold you up. The diabetes list is humming, the breakfast list is coming up with ideas that excite even me, and the pets are plotting. We recently had a bird join the cats and dogs on the pet list. My, oh my, are the conversations lively. And Ranger who is no stranger to danger keeps regaling up with his tales.

Humor and connection heal us. I believe that all the traditions that remember the light at this time of year can help us remember our own inner light. Sometimes it feels that the draw is to spending money and struggling, or rushing around, but it is a time to reflect on healing. No matter what the circumstances you are in this year, invite the light and ask that it fill you.

(c)Kathleen DesMaisons 2006. All rights reserved.