Yesterday was great. Yes, it was long, but everything just worked out
perfectly. We enjoyed the NARFE meeting and seeing our friends there.
We learned that Jane L. is not doing too well, so we are including her
in our prayers. The Lakeland Art Museum was a lot of fun. Dinner for
free, using gift cards, at Bonefish Grille was delicious! Then we went
to the movie, which was a hoot. We actually got home by 9:30 and
watched all three of our Thursday evening shows before going to bed at
midnight. Fun day!
Now we are preparing for the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur. On Rosh Hashanah we begin to pray that we be granted another year of health and happiness, a sweet year. We pray that we are written in the Book of Life for another year. In the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, called the Ten Days of Awe, we think about our sins, ask for forgiveness from those that we may have wronged, grant forgiveness to those who have wronged us, and think about how we can do better in any way possible if we are granted another year. On Yom Kippur, we ramp up the intensity of those prayers and eventually ask not only to be written in the Book of Life but also to be SEALED in there as the Book closes. When the sun comes down tomorrow night, it is written and SEALED who will be granted that next sweet new year.
I pray that all of my family and friends, scattered across this great country, Jewish and non-Jewish, are all written and SEALED into the Book of Life for another sweet, happy, healthy year.
I must admit that knowing that I'm having a mini-vacation at the Grand Floridian for the weekend makes facing that big fast much easier. I really used to dread working all day, coming home and wolfing down a big dinner earlier than usual, then jumping into the car to drive to the synagogue in time to arrive by about 6:15. In Maryland my choir sang along with the cantor for the very first part of the service, the Kol Nidrei prayers. I had to be there early enough to have everything set up and be sure all the singers were there. That made our no food/no water fast go about 27 hours. It's hard.
The first year we were here in Florida, we stayed at home for the holiday. The 45-60 minute drive to and from the synagogue made this holiday very difficult. I usually get a headache from lack of caffeine, so driving back and forth in the middle of the day between the first and second services on Yom Kippur was literally painful. The drive here is three times as long as the one in Maryland, so the time we spent at home napping in the middle of the day was much shorter.
Once we decided to start spending the weekend at WDW, it cut our drive considerably to synagogue. We have eaten our pre-fast dinner at Landry's restaurant, which is about a five minute drive to the new shul here in Florida. My new choir does not sing Kol Nidrei. They sing two pieces that are the two last pieces of the evening, so if I'm right on time or a smidge late, it doesn't matter. The last two years we stayed at All Star Sports, but this year we are using our DVC points for a 1 BR at the Grand Floridian. Mark is going to cook dinner and the break the fast meals in our villa. We are looking forward to it. The fast is still hard, but it's at least an hour shorter! I appreciate that extra hour.
I will not be writing a blog for the next few days. Check back on Monday. I'm not taking my computer to the Grand Floridian today.
Have a lovely day and may you be sealed in the Book of Life. G'mar Chatimah Tovah.
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