Did you get the message?

Yesterday was the last Sunday of Advent, a Christian liturgical season that marks the four weeks before Christmas, a day that supposedly marks the birth of Jesus, a miracle of salvation. It was also the beginning, this year, of Hanukkah, an eight-day festival that celebrates overcoming tremendous odds and incorporates a full-on miracle of survival.

One way or the other, angels are among us, whether their message is to help us to survive or offer us a way to salvation.

This past week, in my own circle of people I know, I learned of the desperation of near homelessness, marriages at critical crossroads, the promise of pending pregnancies, the stunning realization of expectations not coming true, and much more. Positive. Negative. All of it. It is our life. So, the question remains: How do we live our lives? It is a question we have to answer every moment of every day.

Let us all listen to ALL the messages of this season: perseverance, hope, faith, belief, supporting each other and, most important of all, peaceful cooperation ... okay, maybe I made up that last one. But we need that one. Maybe it's the most human and least religious of all. But let's listen to our angels and figure that one out. Let that be the message of the season.

Wishing you all a week of peaceful and loving interactions with family, friends and all the other people you meet.