Festival of Lights and Hope – Night Four

I’ve often referred to my mom as my shamash, but I would be remiss if I didn’t also acknowledge my other shamash, Stephen. I met him amidst the most devastating time of my life, when I was trying to figure out what living in a world without my mom looked like and he brought light into it in ways I never expected. I often joke that he’s my favorite person in the house because without him, I wouldn’t have Tinnin, Olive, or Eliza.

His love and support in the months after losing my mom brought stability when everything felt unmoored, and it was his steady presence that carried me through my postpartum period and into becoming a mother. Our relationship has its ups and downs, like any real one does, but he is the love of my life, and I will be forever grateful that somehow, despite everything, we found our way to each other.