I want to start by wishing my Jewish mates on HoneyGood.com and people in my personal Fb teams a heartfelt L’shanah Tova this Rosh Hashanah. From my coronary heart, from the center of my Final Concierge, and from our beloved pooch America, we want you a New 12 months crammed with candy honey, the love of household, and the present of function.
What Rosh Hashanah Means
To my non-Jewish mates who might surprise what Rosh Hashanah signifies, let me share. Rosh Hashanah, usually referred to as the top of the yr, marks the anniversary of the world’s creation. It’s noticed with prayer, festive meals of candy meals, and the blowing of the shofar, the ram’s horn. However past the traditions, it’s a season for introspection, repentance, and making constructive resolutions for the yr forward. It begins the Days of Awe, a ten-day interval of soul looking out, and ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
For me, as a proud Jewish girl, Rosh Hashanah is each sacred and private. It isn’t merely a vacation; it’s a reminder of the resilience of my individuals and the resilience inside myself.
A Life Formed by Religion and Heritage
As a younger Jewish woman rising up in “Kankakee by the Sea,” I used to be usually within the minority at college. That didn’t deter me. Golda Meir as soon as mentioned, “You’ll by no means discover a higher sparring companion than adversity.” I got here to grasp that fact early.
My massive and revered Jewish household instilled in me one other lesson from Golda Meir: “It isn’t what you collect, it’s what you scatter that tells what sort of life you have got lived.” All through my life I’ve tried to scatter love, pleasure in my heritage, and dedication to neighborhood. I shared these values with my kids and grandchildren. I carried them into my neighborhoods via schooling, public talking, and volunteering.
At the moment, I proceed to dwell this dedication by serving on the nationwide board of the Zionist Group of America (ZOA), the oldest pro-Israel nonprofit in America. The ZOA’s mission is to make sure the survival of a protected, safe, and powerful Israel via schooling, by selling U.S.–Israel relations, and by defending Jewish college students from harassment and discrimination. We additionally fight anti-Israel bias in media and textbooks. This work is a part of my ongoing function, one in all many spokes on the ever-turning wheel of my life.
On Rosh Hashanah, apples and honey symbolize the hope for a “candy” new yr.
A Season of Change and Objective
The autumn season at all times stirs one thing in me. The air cools, the leaves start to alter, and I really feel a name to maneuver ahead with a constructive spirit. Fall is nature’s annual reminder that change isn’t solely inevitable however stunning. And with change comes development.
Darling, fall is the right time to cease dreaming and begin doing. It’s the time to reevaluate your objectives, your desires, and your priorities. C.S. Lewis as soon as wrote, “You might be by no means too previous to set one other aim or to dream a brand new dream.” I maintain that near my coronary heart.
In my New 12 months’s blessing, I ended with the phrase function. That phrase has echoed in me all season. September, the harvest month, marks a brand new starting: a time for reflection and backbone. It’s the time to sow new seeds and belief that, with labor and care, they’ll bear fruit.
My Personal Functions This Season
Like many ladies, I dwell with many spokes on the wheel of my life. Every spoke represents a pursuit or a ardour. This fall my missions embrace relearning tips on how to knit so I can create a child blanket, studying to play the guitar for peace and solitude, and persevering with my work on the Nationwide Board of the ZOA. I’m additionally planning with my Final Concierge and America to spend the winter in Arizona with my daughter and household.
These are usually not small undertakings. Every requires initiative, vitality, and braveness. And like each girl, I do know the every day grind could make it laborious to carve out time for our functions. That’s the reason resolve is so vital. Samuel Johnson as soon as mentioned, “Your aspirations are your prospects.” I consider that. Our needs and desires are usually not whimsical. They’re highway indicators pointing us to what’s attainable, if we dare to start.
Concern Is Not Invited
If I’ve realized something through the years, it’s this: concern is a no-no phrase. Erase it out of your vocabulary.
Concern has a manner of paralyzing us. We need to transfer ahead, however as a substitute we stand nonetheless, overwhelmed by the what-ifs. The reality is, each new function begins with need, however it solely turns into actuality via labor. Sure, it may be irritating. Sure, it’s going to require grit. However once we plant our seeds in stable soil with imaginative and prescient, persistence, and braveness, we thrive!
A Lesson From Knitting
Enable me to share a narrative that illustrates this fact.
When one in all my grandchildren requested me to take a knitting class collectively, I believed it might be simple. In spite of everything, I had as soon as recognized tips on how to knit. I imagined I might merely refresh myself with “knit one, purl two” and be on my manner.
However actuality had different plans. After class, I returned residence with yarn, needles, and enthusiasm, solely to seek out myself watching a mistake I had no thought tips on how to repair. The knit store was removed from my condominium within the sky, so I sought assist from a 96-year-old girl named Betty, who was recognized for her knitting abilities. She graciously corrected my mistake.
The following day, I made the identical mistake once more. Again I went to Betty, who this time was knitting herself. She informed me that my go to reignited her personal need to knit. I used to be overjoyed to offer her that present. However as soon as once more, I stumbled.
Three journeys to the knit store and three visits to Betty later, I used to be tempted to throw within the towel. However I didn’t. I persevered. At the moment, I’m on a roll with my knitting, Betty is again to her craft, and we now have fashioned a fantastic new friendship.
The lesson? Even a easy job can develop into a mountain. However with persistence, persistence, and function, we are able to climb it. And generally, alongside the best way, we give another person again their spark too.
Why Fall Resolutions Matter
Since historical instances, Rosh Hashanah and fall have been seen because the true starting of the yr: a season of reflection and backbone. Nature itself fashions this for us. The leaves flip, the air shifts, and the earth prepares for renewal. Why ought to we wait till January to set our resolutions when September invitations us to start now?
Consider it as turning over a brand new private leaf. Ask your self: What constructive change do I need in my life so I can actually love the life I’m main? It is perhaps one thing grand, or it is perhaps so simple as seeing mates extra usually, selecting up a pastime, or devoting time to self care.
The toughest half isn’t dreaming; it’s daring. It’s answering the decision of a brand new function with braveness.
Braveness Over Consolation
My philosophy has at all times been to plunge in once I really feel ardour or curiosity. If I don’t attempt, I’ll by no means know. And if I fail, I’ve nonetheless received, as a result of I dared to attempt. That, darling, is a win-win.
Many ladies concern leaving their consolation zones. However once we let concern rule, we miss the possibility to style new joys and uncover new strengths. As an alternative, take a deep breath. Push ahead. Belief your dream to hold you thru the unknown.
A Blessing for the Season
So, as we step into fall and into a brand new yr on the Jewish calendar, I encourage you to replicate by yourself function. Plant your seeds now, water them with resolve, and watch them bloom.
Joyful fall! Joyful Rosh Hashanah! Amen, amen.
