Days of Awe

Tonight marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, 5782. Following that are the ten days of reflection, seeking forgiveness, finding ways to get closer to God, culminating in Yom Kippur, when we fast, pray to be inscribed in the Book of Life, and rejoice in the sweetness of a new year.

You don’t have to be Jewish to think about forgiveness, repent for your sins, or find redemption. It can be a simple reflection of your day: what could I have done better, and to lessen your guilt, you can ask yourself what could the other person have done better too?

Our days have been challenging: there are humanitarian and climate disasters, along with a relentless pandemic and questions about race and identity. We point the finger at one another’s entrenched positions. Do we need to dig so deep in the earth like that?

As humans we need to focus on those symbolic chains, the ones that swing as if our hands are holding one another, to link us to the past, present and future and find compassion, goodness and solutions.

There are seasons for lofty goals, and seasons for small goals. Any goal is extraordinary if it takes us outside our routine thoughts.

Lately I’ve been suffering from the side effects from my second donor transplant, so mine is the season for small goals. There are always moments of happiness and I try to let people around me know I appreciate them, or at least I make them laugh! I try to listen more and if I talk too much, then I try to ramble in a positive way. I am flawed; I get discouraged; but I have not let go of the bigger picture. Not yet.

Life is always going to be hard. Humans can never stop seeking progress, whether large or small.

Find someone and link that chain to him or her. It will send ripples to the rest of us.

Shanah Tovah