Last year was a really rough year in a long line of rough years for my family. My best friend and sister died four years ago, my husband lost his job AND decided he did not want to be my husband anymore, we lost our home my children lived in all of their lives and moved to a new town and to top everything off, we had to put down our beloved dog, Mollie, in November.  Believe it or not there is more I could say but it already sounds like a bad country western song. We have toughed it out, hung together through the bad moments and worked hard to come through it as unscathed as possible.

My best holiday moment occurred on Christmas morning, although we actually celebrate Hanukkah. Being in the circumstances I was in, I was not able to buy the gifts we usually buy for the eight nights and barely able to cook any of the special foods we usually eat, but I was able to make our traditional breakfast casserole and homemade donuts that morning. I was feeling pretty low and trying not to show it. As we all sat down to eat and the kids opened a few gifts they got for each other, I started to feel good: the breakfast, camaraderie and love just sort of seeped in.  My kids must have somehow felt it too as all agreed it was the best holiday yet without the glitz and glamour of former holidays. The Hanukkah lights had extra special meaning this year.

Here's to a better year to come!

K.