Bringing Light into the World

Here it is - Hanukkah the Jewish Festival of Lights.  I have been reflecting on what this holiday means to me as I continue my efforts to raise $15,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  As I work hard to find donors and actively fund raise, I realized that there is a link between my efforts and Hanukkah.  Hanukkah is the holiday where we light candles to eliminate darkness and instead bring light into our lives.  The Hanukkah lights represents to me both hope and transcendence.  As a Jew, I realize that light is the central metaphor for our understanding of the world around us.  It is therefore my job as Jew to recognize the need for more light in the world and through my efforts as part of the DFMC Team to use it to impact the world in a positive way.  In a very simplistic way, I have taken on the role of being a light to the world around me which then becomes a way for me to reflect God's light.

So, how can I bring more light into the world.  It is simple really.  I need to perform tikkun olam.  This is the Hebrew phrase that translates to mean "repairing the world."  Through my efforts on behalf of the DFMC, I am helping to bring much needed money to the pursuit of finding a cure for the various cancers that impact our lives every day.  This year alone I lost a friend to this disease and am currently praying for three other friends who are currently in their own battles against the spread of the disease in their bodies.   I would consider the elimination of cancer in our lifetime a huge step in repairing our world.  Wouldn't that bring some much needed positive illumination to our lives?

As my family and I light a new candle each night of Hanukkah this year, I see their flames in a new way.   I see them as symbolic of hope.  Hope that through my efforts and my teammates the scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will find the causes of and develop cures for cancer.  Without hope no one who is fighting this disease would have the strength to carry on.  The holiday of Hanukkah comes to us at the darkest time of year.  Through the ritual of lighting the candles each night, we are bringing more and more light into the world.  We put our menorahs in our windows to share this light with the world around us.  

I will continue my efforts every day to reach my fund raising goal.  I know that the world we are living in today can seem like a very dark place and at times seems to be growing darker.  But, through acts of charity and loving kindness, I am hoping to bring light into the world to eliminate the darkness many of us feel.  We are living in scary times. To avoid letting fear overwhelm me, I plan to use my training and fundraising for the DFMC to provide me with an inner light that will allow me to have an impact on the world around me.

"In each life there comes at least one moment, which if recognized and seized, transforms the course of that life forever.  The moment may call for you to leap, empty-handed, into the world." - Ralph Blum

Let us seize the moment and leap into the world empty handed except for the light of hope that we can improve it through our love.

Dec. 11 – 7.10 miles (1:03:17; 8:55 pace)

Dec. 12 – 6.20 miles (57:47, 9:19 pace)

Dec. 13 – 3.20 miles (24:58, 7:48 pace) – Speed Work

Dec. 15 – 6.20 miles (49:43, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run

Dec. 16 – 6.10 miles (57:30, 9:25 pace)

Dec. 17 – 6.10 miles (53:48, 8:49 pace)

Dec. 18 – 8.00 miles (1:14:48, 9:21 pace)

Dec. 19 – 6.20 miles (57:23, 9:16 pace)

Dec. 20 – 3.20 miles (24:43, 7:43 pace) – Speed Work

Dec. 22 – 6.10 miles (49:38, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run

Dec. 23 – 6.20 miles (55:32, 8:57 pace)

Dec. 24 – 6.20 miles (55:42, 8:59 pace)

Dec. 25 – 8.10 miles (1:14:48, 9:14 pace)

Total Miles: 78.9 miles

2011 YTD Miles: 1,616.7 miles