Renewal

Hello Everyone:

Just spending the morning waiting for mom to finish up with the opthimologist.  Always a joy.  At least I have something to do instead of just sitting idle.  Right now I'm at a coffee place near the office the opthimologist so whe pn mom is ready I can just go.  Wherever I go, I do try to bring something to do in case I have to wait.  Otherwise, I start to get really restless.  All I can say is thank goodness for iPads and smartphones.

Anyway, Yom Kippur is looming large in the horizon.  Conventional thinking is that it's the time for repentance and making amends.  I think that's only part of what the day is all about.  As I've said in a previous post, Yom Kippur is about renewal.  Yes, it's also called the Day of Atonement.  What are we atoning for?  We're atoning for our words and deeds over the past year.  Really this something that's a daily thing.  The words repent and atone sound so heavy.  It's like they're implying some sort of heinous deed or speech that requires self-flagellation.  My understanding of the day is from a more gentle approach.  Rather than metaphorically beat yourself, I prefer to spend the time renewing my relationship with my higher power.  I do this on a daily basis but Yom Kippur is more like an anniversary.  Yes, anniversaries are sometimes joyous occasions but they are also a time of reflection about the relationships you're involved in.  You have examine where the two of you have been, how you've behaved to each other, the things you've said, and where you both are going.  Needless to say, my relationship with my higher power has been sorely tested.  Yet through it all, I continue to believe that there is a higher power in my world because of the wonderous and beautiful things that exist.  Maybe my relationships with my family isn't so great but I hope that my relationship with my higher power will be better.  This requires putting my faith in something that can't be quantified.  That is an act of faith in itself.  I can manage that better than I can putting faith in people.   So, for me, Yom Kippur becomes a time for renewing my faith in my higher power.