Love. Generosity. Unbounded Giving. Outreach. Extension within Peak. Awe. Receptivity. Wow! Splendor.
Today we marked Sheloshim. A group of people I am proud to call both friends and students put together a remarkable hour of spiritual beauty to help my family and me rise from the first month of mourning my dear father (z”l).
Seriously Unbounded Giving in a Splendor of Love. Wow! Having this experience in the hours well before we entered this new Omer day was like a sneak preview, and now I get to carry the experience around with me to remind me of what happens when you combine Chesed with Hod.
I didn’t think I would write tonight - I am kind of fried. There were plenty of feelings that arose during the service, including a rather unfortunate teenager moment during a very tender part of the service. For better or worse, it opened the floodgates. I’ll put it in the “better” column, even though it’s not how I would have chosen to have the floodgates opened. Good to have a good cry, and also rather exhausting.
After moving from not writing at all, I had a whole other plan for what I would write - something VERY brief. What is coming out was nowhere on the map. I am grateful to have the chance to write about it. After a surge of joy towards the end of our wonderful gathering, I then felt quite glum for the rest of the evening. Now, having a chance to reflect on it before I drift into my nightly recharge, I get to build a new memory of the whole thing. At least, I get to focus on the part that is all about the Splendid Extension of Love that really was rather Awe-some. That feels like a much better way to end this day.
I would like to leave you with a bit of wisdom from the resident teenager - the same one that can shatter my serenity in an instant. This was to be the whole post, but also serves as a nice blessing. She has these words on a little sign board that she keeps in her room:
Don’t count the days, make the days count.
Wow!