Monday, September 29, 2008

I'm back!

It has been over a month since I've blogged anything, and the need to blog has been building up over the past couple of weeks. I spent the last weeks of August trying to soak up all the time with my husband that I could, and after he left trying to adjust to being an ersatz single mom and college student. By the early middle of this month I had gotten mostly into the swing of things...thankfully, because I added another ball to the round I was already juggling: Intro to Judaism. I can't tell you how excited and thrilled I am to be taking this course. My rabbi has a wonderful speaking presence, and he really pulls us into his discussion as he explains the focal point of the week. Of course, we have several people, myself included, who can manage to get us all off track, but we're still learning even in that.

This past session was on Rosh Hashanah, very appropriate for this week. We enjoyed challah, apples, honey, and apple cake as we discussed the meaning of the holiday and the Yamim No'arim, the Days of Awe leading from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. Although I have a basic understanding of the holidays, it's still a joy to be able to share the experience and learning with others.

Tonight I was able to pass that joy on to my children. I actually baked a round challah myself, and we had it along with a sliced apple and some honey. My daughter was all smiles as we lit the candles, recited the blessings, and talked about the meaning of the New Year. My son had a little trouble understanding that this was not the same as the secular New Year, but he enjoyed the honey and challah regardless.

So, that is my update. I hope to be able to spend a little more time keeping up with my blogging, and I'm sure the class will give me even more to think and blog about.

L'Shanah Tovah!