l'Shanah Tovah

The time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is an opportunity for Jews to seek forgiveness from those we have wronged. A chance to say "I'm sorry, and I love you." Tonight is the start of Yom Kippur; on this day, Jews fast in order to become closer to G-d, and we petition G-d to forgive us from our promises and our transgressions. (See "Kol Nidrei" in Wikipedia for an interesting summary of the difficulties this has caused Jews in the past...)

The weeks following the "Days of Awe" (Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur), Jews begin to rejoice in the "Days of Joy" (Sukkot and Simchat Torah) – celebrations of the cycle of life and the cycle of the Torah.

A friend and I have been e-chatting about the similarities between prayer and journal writing, and in my case, meditation. Each affords quiet time to reflect and to reach some self-understandings. Sometimes, we reflect on aspects of our past that we wish we could have done over, done better.

And he described a cycle in adult relationships that feels true: "...defining oneself, losing oneself, reclaiming oneself... until the next wave, the next merging..."

Waves

Sometimes,
late at night
as I snuffle through

a sappy chick flick
  

I pause
and wonder
I maybe shoulda
I coulda woulda
  

Blink back
memories
hardened to his needs
too stressed to feel
  

I stop
and admit
that I made mistakes,
though I did my best 
  

Wipe dry
regret’s tears
life is what it is
what will it become?
  

And smile
inner joy
thoughts of those I love
I face the new day.