Sukkot and Motherhood

Today we began building our sukkah, and somehow it feels especially meaningful this year.

Sukkot is approaching fast, and during the very same time, we are celebrating my daughter’s birthday. As I stood there putting the structure together, piece by piece, with little miss helping I found myself thinking about how much of motherhood is exactly this — facing challenges, building life and memories slowly, with love, patience and whatever strength you have that day, never giving up but giving it up to god.

A sukkah is temporary. It reminds us that the things we build with our hands aren’t permanent, but God’s presence is. We build a shelter, we gather our family inside it, we eat, remember, give thanks and rejoice.

And for me, there is something deeply beautiful about doing this as a Christian who is learning to honour the Jewish world into which Jesus was born and the biblical festivals He knew and celebrated.

So today, while we were putting up the first pieces of our sukkah, I wasn’t just preparing a shelter for Sukkot.

I was standing in the middle of a birthday, a family, a faith, and a life that God has carried us through despite the struggles and hardship we face.

One more year of my daughter’s life I get to share with her.

One more season of God’s blessings.

And one little shelter being built, with the help of little hands reminding us that we don’t need a permanent structure to know where home truly is, home is with the people you love and with God