Happy Hanukkah!

There are times of year when I start thinking back on my youth. Music really takes me back to seasons of growth, change and in some cases, sprinkles of hope.

This time of year, I don't really think about past Christmases. Instead, I think of the things that have made me -- me.

When I was a teenager, my family attended a popular church in Western New York. The pastors (twin brothers) were Jews who converted to Christianity. I learned a lot about Judaism and Jewish culture from them. I distinctly remember one evening church service that included a huge circle (around the entire sanctuary) of locked arms and swinging legs dancing a hova.

Years later, my mom, who has always loved Jewish tradition, began celebrating Hanukkah instead of Christmas. Our gifts became dredels and other small items that represented the roots of our Christian faith.

Mom bought a menorah and began to light it instead of our traditional advent wreath. She started attending a Messianic synagogue and practicing things like shabbat.

Now, I attend a church with another Messianic Jewish pastor. I really pick 'em!

My family is mostly English, Irish and Hungarian. Not an ounce of Jewish blood in me. But inside I feel a special kinship with these wonderful people.

Happy Hanukkah, Hyattsville!