Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the light that refused to go out, the oil the kept burning as long as it was needed. In the dark of the year, Hanukkah honors all the ways that we manage to keep the light of faith, of hope, of joy, of compassion, of freedom burning , even when it would seem logical for that light to burn out.
What helps you keep the light in your soul alive?
I really struggle with this. Depression sucks out hope even in the newly depressed and my mental illnesses are treatment resistant. I’ve tried so many things with only a little bit of relief to show for it. My ongoing problems with my hands/wrists/arms seem similarly hopeless.
I try to focus on the progress that has been made and remind myself that I haven’t yet tried every single thing out there. Even if I had, there are advancements made all the time so maybe there will eventually be something that actually works. Sometimes these thought games work; sometimes they don’t.