The Festival of Lights, Chanukah, is being celebrated this week and it begins a season during which many faith traditions celebrate light and hope. For the eight nights of the Chanukah celebration, we light candles, building from one to eight, with the flames growing brighter every night. In fact, our tradition dictates that we place our Chanukah lights in a window so that we share that illumination with the world.

Those bright flames always hold symbolism for me that goes beyond the holiday itself, the joining together of the light, night after night, to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. As we kindle each light, I like to think that we are, in our own small way, helping to alleviate the darkness. We have all known darkness over the last 20 months, we’ve had moments when it seemed that the darkness was impenetrable, unrelenting, and endless. Yet I know that each of our LeadingAge members lit the matches and found the candle’s wick, bringing light and hope to our elders, to our staff, to our communities and to one other.

Each of you kindled flames that brought care and compassion to our elders. You lit flames of courage and strength in the face of adversity. You brought forth the fire for resilience, rededication and reinvention. You steadied the light of mission and commitment. Each of the candles you lit has served to spark others. And our collective light stretches far and wide, allowing us to begin to see what lies ahead and to find our way to a successful future.

Your light, our light, may have been dimmed by our experiences but it was never extinguished. Today we shine brighter than ever, proud of the work that we do, privileged to be a part of the lives of so many elders, grateful for the opportunity to serve, support and care.