Thanksgiving - Chanukah

It's the weekend of Thanksgiving, and I've visited with my nephew Arden and his lover Dru, here from California. We've grown closer with time, and as I age this becomes more important. Even my great nephew Jonathan, Arden's son, now in his mid-thirties, and I have started to know each other. Lacking my own lover, these connections grow in value,
This is also one year when Thanksgiving and Chanukah almost intersect; the Jewish holiday begins in a few days. Both celebrate important moments, and (I'd like to think) narrow any gap between secular and religious events.
I'm really enjoying my new connection with Jonah Rank, first-year student at the Jewish Theological Seminary, who comes here as a "Chavrutah," teacher/study partner. We read and freely tear apart Biblical stories, so far some from Genesis that do read rather like soap operas. It's not yet clear what benefit for my own life I should get from these tales, but I believe there is benefit and I accept them as wonderful narratives. Jonah too becomes a supportive young player in my aging life.
Days have now gotten colder and daylight shorter, a sure sign of oncoming winter. I search for joy.