Brookside Gardens

Our friends Saul and Phyllis are always going to Brookside Gardens for nice walks. We have often been invited to join them but never had the chance. Finally, we got to go for a walk there with Jeff and Sara in the evening. It was really lovely. We walked about 50 minutes at a pleasant pace as the sun started to go down. I'm sure that the walk and only eating two meals (one normal breakfast and one huge late afternoon meal for Rosh Hashana) is why I'm down one pound today to 223. Not acceptable yet, but it's a start.

Today there will also be only two meals and a walk. After services today we will be going to Rae's house for a luncheon. She lives very close to the Greenbelt Lake, which has a path all the way around. We have never walked all the way around the lake either, so I think today is going to be the day for a long walk after we consume another big meal.

I had approached the services yesterday with a little bit of trepidation. I wanted to see the choir and yet it would be sad to see them without me as their director. I don't want to do it anymore, but it's still a little bittersweet. Then when they sang, it was shocking. They were just awful. And if there is a choir member reading this, it will not be a surprise to them to see my opinion. I told many of them yesterday. They did not get their starting pitches to most of the songs, so everything except Amen, the last song, started off in not just the wrong key, but multiple keys! I was a bit stunned. The last song went well, so at least they finished the day with a beautiful sound.

I was also apprehensive about having to greet everyone. I love seeing everyone, but I just thought it would be tiring to have to answer the same question, "How are you doing?" or "How are you feeling?" over and over. Turns out it wasn't. Many people DID come up and say those things, but it was with such love and concern in the tone of their voice or the look in their eye that it was incredibly touching. I didn't mind at all. I'm about to head out there again for the second day of Rosh Hashana. I don't think I will be asked that as many times today since it will be essentially the same folks again today, but I'm still looking forward to seeing everyone. And the choir is not singing!