Snow, Light and Chanukkah

Big Trees State Park-Photo by Libby Fife

Last night was the first night of Chanukkah. As is so often the case on Jewish holidays, I look for a way to relate the historical or biblical aspects of the holiday to my current everyday life. The light of the candles reminds me of the many ways in which God's illuminating light is present in our everyday lives. My recent hike showed me that God's illuminating presence is both obvious and not so obvious. 

I am sharing the above photo that I took last week while out on a hike at Big Trees State Park up in Arnold. I live in the foothills of northern CA so a trip to the mountains (or close to them) is very doable. I normally go to the park during the spring and summer when it is warm. I am used to how the park looks at that time of year. Imagine my surprise when I arrived this time to find that the park had been blanketed in snow! Objects that were once familiar became a mystery to me. The snow obscured their familiar features so that I had to look very hard to figure out both where I was and what I was seeing. The walk was a real treat for me.

As I lit the Chanukkah candles last night I thought about the different ways in which God helps us to see. Specifically, I thought about how the snow brought the trees, rocks, and paths at the park into relief and caused me to see them in a new way. I felt like I was seeing something for the first time. Things were both hidden and revealed; familiar and unfamiliar. The light of the chanukkah candles is similar. It is both illustrative of a miracle but it also provides warmth and illumination during a cold and dark part of the year. God's light in our world is many faceted. And not always obvious but keep looking. It is there.

Libby