Eight Nights of Lights - Night 5

Tonight is the 5th night of lights. An evening of gratitude - thankfulness for the blessings we have. When we were little, mom would dress us up and the 4 of us girls would sing in church. One of my favorite songs was Bless This House (by May Brahe & Helen Taylor c 1927):

Bless this house O Lord we pray; Make it safe by night and day;
Bless these walls so firm and stout, Keeping want and trouble out:
Bless the roof and chimneys tall, Let thy peace lie over all;
Bless this door, that it may prove ever open to joy and love.

Bless these windows shining bright, Letting in God's heav'nly light;
Bless the hearth a'blazing there, with smoke ascending like a prayer;
Bless the folk who dwell within, keep them pure and free from sin;
Bless us all that we may be Fit O Lord to dwell with thee;
Bless us all that one day we May dwell O Lord with thee.

Can't you just imagine the 4 of us standing in front of our tiny little church of about 50 people, singing this song on a Sunday morning?



I do like the various traditions that go with the 8 nights of lights. How rich is your life right now? Perhaps not in the sense of money...but in blessings. Celebrate tonight by sharing these blessings with others by simply doing a good deed.



My life has not always been easy....but it has been blessed. No cancer in mom or my sisters to date. Oh! What a blessing!!! Only one brother-in-law has passed away....sort of a miracle with 5 kids and 5 kids-in-law most over 50. No major disabilities - most of us are still in fairly good health. And we all live in the same state, so we can see each other most any time we want. My children are healthy. Now, I call those blessings!



I have a warm home, warm clothes, a full refrigerator, and time to play. Those are even more blessings. And I have way more than I need. I'm sure that you do, too. Why not take what you don't need and donate it to a charity? Find one thing in your life tonight that you could give away tomorrow. And give it away. Your good deed. Your Mitzvah.



Every now and then, I even have a little extra money. (that's above and beyond the 10% I give from my income). I send those gifts to the American Red Magen David for Israel. 888 Seventh Ave, Ste 403, New York NY 10106. It's the "Red Cross" in Israel and they work to assist in so many ways. Scripture says that "I will bless them that bless thee" and I believe that applies to Israel and Jews. Yes, Israel gets my "tithe" and my "gifts". And my life continues to be blessed in ways I can't begin to explain!






So with the blessing of "time" - tonight we'll see more than just "one" tecnique as I just didn't know when to stop!!! Remember your Mitzvah.


And a mini bonus video on how to color ribbons, lace, pipecleaners and glitter to match any project you are working on:




On this 5th night of lights, may you take a little time to reflect on your blessings,