What a week. Early last Saturday morning we learned that David's aunt and grandmother had both passed away the previous night. They were both ill and had been rapidly declining. Even so, the synchronicity was spooky. They were mother and daughter. One died in her home, the other in a nursing home twenty miles away. And neither ever had to be told that the other had passed.
By 11:00 AM we had booked plane tickets for that evening, and we set about arranging a sitter for Demetrius, running some errands, and packing up our things. We spent the next four days with David's family - mourning, telling stories, driving relatives to and from the airport, and just generally taking care of each other.
We brought back Grandma's chanukah menorah; the timing seemed good, since Chanukah started the day after we got home. And yesterday evening, on the first night, we set it up.
Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam shecheyanu v'kiy'manu v'higyanu lazman hazeh.
Blessed are you, our God, Creator of time and space, who has supported us, protected us, and brought us to this moment.
We will have a happy Chanukah, remembering David's aunt and grandmother and lighting our candles. I hope you have a happy Chanukah too.
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