I have a friend who absolutely loves pumpkins, so for Hanukkah, I painted her a picture of pumpkins piled up on straw, based on a photo I took in Hillsdale, MI last fall.

She loved the painting (said I could post it here). But I also feel that these pumpkins symbolize a bit more. Each has gone through a hard winter. But each also contains seeds for new growth when spring comes. I believe that after the hard winter, we will have a wonderful spring – a time of real renewal in our country.