Greetings and welcome to the Christmas/Chanukah/Boxing Day edition of Laura's Links!
It is not very often that the two holidays happen at the exact same time. The stories of both holidays are very different, but they both have lights and blessings in common. For all celebrants, and even for those who are only affected by the ripple effect, these holidays are a reminder of the purity of goodness, of faith, strength and the importance of banishing darkness with light.
From my house to yours, I wish to take a moment to wish our Jewish readers a very Happy Chanukah. To our Christian readers, I hope you enjoyed a blessed Christmas with your loved ones and friends. And as this is the last batch of Links for 2024, I'll take this opportunity of wishing you a very happy and healthy New Year.
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My week started off a little challenging, with my special needs son being unwell. (Thank G-d he is fine now.) I've said on many previous occasions that having children is the best thing in the world. But it's also fair to say that parenting is not for the meek – and that's when your child is generally healthy. Any parent who has gone through health challenges with their child knows that it is probably the most helpless and scariest feeling and time in the world. When my son has these episodes, it takes me a fair amount of time to recover my mental equilibrium. Everything feels foggy for a while and I'm a little jumpy and weepy.
But after things settled down over the course of this week, I felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude to G-d because it really could have been worse – the timing, the positioning, the location. Every element could have been worse, but it wasn't. (I'm getting emotional just articulating these words in print.) It's a reminder that we don't know what G-d has planned for us at any moment, or at any point throughout any day. So the highest levels of knowing G-d are trust and belief: two separate but critical pillars. I trust that He always has my back and I believe in His goodness entirely.
Similarly, I'm thankful – truly thankful – that President Trump moved his head.
There are small miracles and big miracles happening all around us, right in front of our faces all the time. It's possible that I'm getting more sentimental as I get older but I feel like my miracle radar is so much more finely tuned nowadays. I'm much less cynical than I was when I was younger. For example, I used to think that the Jewish prayer recited after one uses the restroom was kind of silly and a little on the OCD spectrum. But I see the wisdom in it now. If G-d closes one tiny thing in your body, or opens some small thing, or, in the case of my son, removes a microscopic part of one of the arms of one of a chromosome; if He has you turn your head or not, if you board the plane or not, these seemingly small things can all turn into matters of life or death. Walking and breathing are miraculous. Using the bathroom is actually miraculous. How humbling and glorious at the same time.
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There's a few items that I want to draw your attention to before I close out the year. On the live Clubland Q&A a few weeks ago, someone asked me who my choice would be for Time Magazine's Person of the Year (I know, I know 'what's a Time Magazine'?). Last year, I picked Elon Musk. This year, even though I know it should be Trump, and it is Trump, I still gravitated toward Elon and Trump together because I think their destinies were related. I don't think I articulated that idea completely clearly at the time. Then I saw this clip which is where I'm at.
Other thoughts: a reminder that you simply cannot hate the legacy media enough.
We need more Christmas, more Chanukah, more light and more joy to banish the darkness (and obviously way more Christmas cookies, tinsel, latkes and Jewish-penned Christmas songs but I digress).
Lastly, this reel from Instagram kind of freaked me out because I have often tried to articulate what life was like before having a child with a severe disability and then after. The basic idea here is I had my first life, and then there was the start of my next life.
That's all I've got for now.
I pray that the miracle of Chanukah will be the light and the strength that brings all the hostages home, every single last one.
I'll see you in the comments and in the New Year!
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North America:
Imagine my surprise. Canada is a culture of death.
Imagine if a man's feelings were not more important than a woman's safety.
Things seem fine at Columbia University.
Seriously CUNY? Really? Banning Jewish authors? Is that where we are at now in America?
"I may have discovered a MASSIVE scandal in CA.
Narrative fail.
Negotiating tips from President Trump. YUGE!
A well deserved whupping.
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The Great Walkbackening, Accounting and Reckoning:
This seems fine.
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Israel and Jews:
My IDIOT people, party eleventy million gazillion and four.
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Christianity:
Tom Holland on How Christianity Changed the World
"I Took Religion Out of Christmas.
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The Formerly Great Britain:
Actually, Ireland is committing a genocide against itself.
When Cllr Ahmed and Cllr Hussain have a disagreement in Bradford. This all seems SOOOPER DOOOOPER BRITISH.
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Europe:
"Hello world, this is a message from Germany.
Everything seems great in France.
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Today in Satan:
First of all, I suspect these fellas will experience prison justice. I hope they burn in hell. But we also need to ask some questions about the process by which custody is granted and to whom, and what about this "Christian special needs" adoption agency-does it have a name? Is it still functioning? Does it have any regrets?
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Human Grace:
Five life lessons from a former hostage.
Save a life, save a universe.
Blessed are those who improve the world.
"How do you treat disabled people?"
"See, this is what I live for now.
It's open thread time! Log into SteynOnline and let Laura know what you think of these stories or other happenings from week that was. Commenting privileges are among the many perks of membership in The Mark Steyn Club. While going off topic is permitted on Laura's Links, do stick to the other rules as you engage: no URLs, no profanity, and no ad hominem attacks.
