Day 3170 —Last Day— with an ARCHWAY made of PRESENTS

 I fell asleep while putting my daughter to bed last night, so I'm a little thrown off today. We celebrated the last day of Hanukkah, and my daughter played with Duplo Legos and paints. This is the first year that we've really committed to attempting some Hanukkah traditions, but I think it's the right thing to do. A couple of years ago, we found out that my wife's grandmother was Jewish. She had escaped to Canada during WWII and never told her new family about her origins. It wasn't until we did a DNA test that the story came out.

I'm not saying that I'm committing to raising my daughter to be religious, but I do think it's my duty to expose her (and my wife) to her cultural heritage that was stolen from her. It's crazy to think about how much of anti-Semitism is about more than just deaths; it's also about one group of people making another group of people feel ashamed for being themselves and embracing their own culture and customs. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became at what was stolen from my daughter, and I don't want to be part of that legacy.

As I ran, I was thinking about this, and I was happy that I did something different this year.

With the poem version with help from ChatGPS: 

I fell asleep last night, my daughter by my side

But when I woke this morning, I felt thrown off and wide

Awake, my thoughts not yet aligned

But then I remembered the joy that filled my mind

We celebrated Hanukkah, my daughter and I

She played with Duplo Legos, paints that flew high

Creating works of art that filled my heart with joy

Memories of my wife's grandmother, a Jewish girl, a new nation to employ

But she had to hide her faith, flee and go

It wasn't until later, a DNA test we took

That her true identity, no longer hidden, awoke

I don't want my daughter to feel shame in who she is

I want to expose her to her heritage, and all that this entails

The customs, the culture, the history of her kin

I don't want to be part of a legacy that would steal within

So as I ran this morning, my thoughts clear and true

I was grateful for the chance to do something new

To celebrate Hanukkah, and all that it means

A celebration of culture, of strength and beams

Of light that shine bright, even in the darkest of times

I am proud to be part of this tradition, these rhymes

Of history and culture, a legacy to embrace

And pass on to my daughter, with love and with grace.