(no subject)
Today was NOT a good day!
we had the walk wise drive wise thing today at school, all day, most of it was just a waste of time, but the movie we watched in homework, SMASH, was not good, it showed car accidents and then people in the trauma shock center all bloody, i don't mind hospital stuff but all this stuff made me sad, all of the families crying and stuff i guess it just brought back memories for me, if u know what i mean,
I got a C on my math test!!! I am going so bad in math, i need to get an A on my next test so badly or else i might get a c in the class,
i wrote an essay for a contest, here it is, please read it and comment, i'd really appreciate it, thanks!! luv ya all, i need hugs, today was tough
Stops Along my Jewish Journey
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. ” (Helen Keller) At some point in everyone’s life death must be faced. Although it is very hard to cope with the loss of a family member or friend, it is important to realize that you still have a life to live. Grieving is very important but eventually one needs to move on in life as well as possible. This does not mean to forget about the loss, but only to remember it and to take the experience with you, to help others when they are in a similar situation. The new path that we take in our lives after a loss leads us to new friends and experiences.
When I was in the 7th grade in order to prepare for my Bat Mitzvah, I had to attend a special class with the Hebrew school at my synagogue, Tikvat Israel. During the nine-week session of the Zayin class, my friends and I learned together how to properly put on tefillin along with the reasoning behind different kashrut laws, and the rules on the proper ways to sit shiva. I enjoyed this class, but it was just because of the time I got to spend with my friends. None of us really understood the importance of learning the customs of a Jewish funeral or about the seven days one spends mourning. However, we learned the information, finished the class, and moved on.
Just a couple weeks after the class finished, my dad died. Everything happened very quickly and, before I knew it, I was a part of sitting shiva. Friends and family were very supportive, and almost immediately my best friend was at my house. That same memorable day, my brother, my mom and I, went to the funeral home to see the body. Although I did not want to go, I knew it would help me realize the truth; I needed something to make the situation more of a reality.
From the time before the funeral until the end of sitting shiva, our house was never empty. So many people came by the house, even before shiva started. My friends Marnina and Rebecca practically lived at our house, keeping me company and just being there. This is when the information I learned in the Zayin class came in handy. We had learned about the proper way to make the coffin, as well as the rules and traditions for Jewish funerals. Because we had family that needed to come in from out of town, we were not required to have the funeral the next day. During the few days before the funeral the house began to fill up with cookies and ready made meals. I believe that this was the hardest time for us, as nothing had begun or ended, our door of happiness had closed, but it would be awhile before we saw another door that had opened. The funeral made the situation final, allowing us to slowly recover from our loss through shiva, and eventually return to our daily schedules.
After the ceremony at the synagogue, we all drove to the cemetery where the service continued. Some speeches were made and I began to memorize the words of the Kaddish. At the end of the funeral, we each used a small shovel to throw dirt on top of the coffin. As I remember the afternoon was very cold, we were all bundled up, and I remember wearing a dress that was too small, and tight, because part of the Jewish custom is not to be too comfortable while grieving. After the end of the funeral we drove back to our house, and many people came over with food, and warm hugs.
When we got home the shiva started. We stayed at home for seven days and just focused on grieving. Family and friends surrounded us, and came every night for minyan as well as during the day. Shiva was a major part of healing as it gave us time to reflect on our memories, and just remember. On Shabbat, however, we went to the synagogue. It was our first time out of the house since the funeral, and I felt a little bit like Dorothy entering Oz for the first time.
Even after the seven days of sitting shiva ended, we were still required to say the memorial blessing, the kaddish. However one night when we were supposed to go to services, the synagogue was closed due to a snowstorm. Because of our caring neighborhood, we were able to gather up enough people to pray at our house. All our friends whot where close enough to drive in the weather came to our house for minyan.I specifically remember my friend’s dad reading the prayers from his palm pilot. Although we may not have realized this yet, through our loss our friends and family had grown even closer to us, giving us the support we needed.
After shiva was over I returned to school and was met by caring friends and teachers. My school began a support group for kids who had lost close family members, and I began going to that once a week. Through all of this, my brother Ethan and I got much closer and helped each other with our loss. I remember our saying how we were best friends.
Four years later we are doing better. Although we always miss my dad, we are also able to have happy occasions. On November 20 we will be celebrating my brother’s Bar Mitzvah. Through the help of our friends and family we have been able to continue on with life despite hard obstacles and bridges which we must cross. My mom has remarried and I now have a whole other side of the family. This is yet another door that has opened with this loss. The death of my father and the experiences that have come with it, are the most memorable experiences of my Jewish life. Although they are not all good memories, I have become a stronger person because of them. Because of my experiences I am able to help others who are experiencing similar loss. Also I feel a special bond between others who are going through death in the family like I did. I am pulled towards them and feel a need to talk and help them through their grief. I learned a lot through my experience, and I now know to appreciate everything and not to let the little things get me down.
there that is the essay, hope you liked it, and understood what i was talking about and all that, yeah today was a sad day, made me depressed,
we had the walk wise drive wise thing today at school, all day, most of it was just a waste of time, but the movie we watched in homework, SMASH, was not good, it showed car accidents and then people in the trauma shock center all bloody, i don't mind hospital stuff but all this stuff made me sad, all of the families crying and stuff i guess it just brought back memories for me, if u know what i mean,
I got a C on my math test!!! I am going so bad in math, i need to get an A on my next test so badly or else i might get a c in the class,
i wrote an essay for a contest, here it is, please read it and comment, i'd really appreciate it, thanks!! luv ya all, i need hugs, today was tough
Stops Along my Jewish Journey
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. ” (Helen Keller) At some point in everyone’s life death must be faced. Although it is very hard to cope with the loss of a family member or friend, it is important to realize that you still have a life to live. Grieving is very important but eventually one needs to move on in life as well as possible. This does not mean to forget about the loss, but only to remember it and to take the experience with you, to help others when they are in a similar situation. The new path that we take in our lives after a loss leads us to new friends and experiences.
When I was in the 7th grade in order to prepare for my Bat Mitzvah, I had to attend a special class with the Hebrew school at my synagogue, Tikvat Israel. During the nine-week session of the Zayin class, my friends and I learned together how to properly put on tefillin along with the reasoning behind different kashrut laws, and the rules on the proper ways to sit shiva. I enjoyed this class, but it was just because of the time I got to spend with my friends. None of us really understood the importance of learning the customs of a Jewish funeral or about the seven days one spends mourning. However, we learned the information, finished the class, and moved on.
Just a couple weeks after the class finished, my dad died. Everything happened very quickly and, before I knew it, I was a part of sitting shiva. Friends and family were very supportive, and almost immediately my best friend was at my house. That same memorable day, my brother, my mom and I, went to the funeral home to see the body. Although I did not want to go, I knew it would help me realize the truth; I needed something to make the situation more of a reality.
From the time before the funeral until the end of sitting shiva, our house was never empty. So many people came by the house, even before shiva started. My friends Marnina and Rebecca practically lived at our house, keeping me company and just being there. This is when the information I learned in the Zayin class came in handy. We had learned about the proper way to make the coffin, as well as the rules and traditions for Jewish funerals. Because we had family that needed to come in from out of town, we were not required to have the funeral the next day. During the few days before the funeral the house began to fill up with cookies and ready made meals. I believe that this was the hardest time for us, as nothing had begun or ended, our door of happiness had closed, but it would be awhile before we saw another door that had opened. The funeral made the situation final, allowing us to slowly recover from our loss through shiva, and eventually return to our daily schedules.
After the ceremony at the synagogue, we all drove to the cemetery where the service continued. Some speeches were made and I began to memorize the words of the Kaddish. At the end of the funeral, we each used a small shovel to throw dirt on top of the coffin. As I remember the afternoon was very cold, we were all bundled up, and I remember wearing a dress that was too small, and tight, because part of the Jewish custom is not to be too comfortable while grieving. After the end of the funeral we drove back to our house, and many people came over with food, and warm hugs.
When we got home the shiva started. We stayed at home for seven days and just focused on grieving. Family and friends surrounded us, and came every night for minyan as well as during the day. Shiva was a major part of healing as it gave us time to reflect on our memories, and just remember. On Shabbat, however, we went to the synagogue. It was our first time out of the house since the funeral, and I felt a little bit like Dorothy entering Oz for the first time.
Even after the seven days of sitting shiva ended, we were still required to say the memorial blessing, the kaddish. However one night when we were supposed to go to services, the synagogue was closed due to a snowstorm. Because of our caring neighborhood, we were able to gather up enough people to pray at our house. All our friends whot where close enough to drive in the weather came to our house for minyan.I specifically remember my friend’s dad reading the prayers from his palm pilot. Although we may not have realized this yet, through our loss our friends and family had grown even closer to us, giving us the support we needed.
After shiva was over I returned to school and was met by caring friends and teachers. My school began a support group for kids who had lost close family members, and I began going to that once a week. Through all of this, my brother Ethan and I got much closer and helped each other with our loss. I remember our saying how we were best friends.
Four years later we are doing better. Although we always miss my dad, we are also able to have happy occasions. On November 20 we will be celebrating my brother’s Bar Mitzvah. Through the help of our friends and family we have been able to continue on with life despite hard obstacles and bridges which we must cross. My mom has remarried and I now have a whole other side of the family. This is yet another door that has opened with this loss. The death of my father and the experiences that have come with it, are the most memorable experiences of my Jewish life. Although they are not all good memories, I have become a stronger person because of them. Because of my experiences I am able to help others who are experiencing similar loss. Also I feel a special bond between others who are going through death in the family like I did. I am pulled towards them and feel a need to talk and help them through their grief. I learned a lot through my experience, and I now know to appreciate everything and not to let the little things get me down.
there that is the essay, hope you liked it, and understood what i was talking about and all that, yeah today was a sad day, made me depressed,