We are in the midst of Hanukkah. This is a time of celebration, joy and lots of fun activities and food (especially those who love fried foods like latkes and donuts). It is also, and perhaps moreso, a time of reflecting on how we are to have faith in things working out even in the seemingly impossible situations of life. By reflecting on the liturgy of the 8 day festival, which speaks about the overcoming of overwhelming military odds and the lighting of candles, going from 1 candle on the first night to 8 candles on the last night, one added every night, as a reminder of the story told of finding enough oil to only last one day which then lasted eight days, we have an opportunity to take stock and reflect.
In my work with people as a Spiritual Life Coach, we work to take the little jug of oil a person has uncovered, the desire to foster a change in life, and step by step craft the desired goals into a New Beginning. This is true for those dealing with grief and loss, with transitions in life and those just searching for a renewed sense of meaning. Fostering lasting change is miraculous in that it is often difficult to sustain the step by step growth. Too many of us struggle because we want to reach the end quickly and without fail, not realizing that the goal can only be reached one step at a time. This attitude can lead to failed opportunities and missed celebrations for milestones we reach along the way. Time and again, we each can find the ways to support and care for ourselves so that we may find the new lights we are trying to light in our lives.
As we light for the last time tonight, filling all 8 spots on the menorah, we should take a moment to reflect on the night by night process of how we got here. Some of us have felt rushed during the holiday, maybe not being home for every night, yet, we have continued to do in some way shape or form. It wasn’t a straight and perfect ride, yet we have arrived at the culmination point. I think this is true of our work of change as well. The process of change is not perfect. It has bumps and ditches along the way. Yet, when we reach a milestone moment, when we have a breakthrough that gives us the push forward to the next part of the growth journey, we should take the time to celebrate the imperfect, bumpy path we have taken to this point.
May we be blessed to appreciate the bumps along the way and the arrival to points along the path. May we remember to celebrate the incomplete as much as we come to enjoy the complete.
Working on setting new goals and needing a process for maintaining your goals. Contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or via email at newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com
New beginnings: A blog about spirituality, chaplaincy and renewal 