So much to do, and so little time left, but Rebecca still has time to blog!
Whew! I just got home from my lay-leader service at the temple, and can I just say that I am so happy to have that over with. Even though I love my congregation and will miss them all so much, it still made me so freaking nervous to lead the service. Especially since I didn't rehearse as much for this one as I did for my last turn as lay-leader. Still, I think I did okay, even though my voice always gets very high and fast when I'm nervous, and this was no exception. I didn't make any mistakes (that I noticed) and before we said the Shema, I talked a little bit about the children's book on the Shema that we read back here, and about how much I enjoyed being part of the temple's religious school (and even though I whined about it on this blog, I genuinely did enjoy it - I learned so much from teaching!). And to finish it all up, I played the Les Miserables finale number, "When Tomorrow Comes," a song with a very beautiful Jewish message.
I didn't get to rehearse as much as I wanted to because I've been so darn busy lately. Just yesterday, virtually everyone at temple turned out for the city-wide Yom HaShoah Memorial. I think this one was even better than last year's. There was a big exhibit of photos, and very powerful, moving speeches from Rabbi W; a member of our temple whose father survived the Holocaust; and a member of the temple in Lafayette who's a Holocaust survivor himself. The only thing that could've been better was the weather. It was held in an exhibition hall with big windows overlooking the lake. The wind and rain were so strong that I couldn't even see the bridge, only grayness and choppy waters. But it did make the song from the amazing solo singer even better. She sang "Eli, Eli" in both Hebrew and English. These are the translated lyrics.
My God, my God, I pray that these things never end
The sand and the sea, the rush of the waters
The crash of the heavens
The prayer of the heart
It was a very, very beautiful memorial service, even though the dessert Rebecca brought (the temple Sisterhood catered the desserts) was inedible crap. I honestly don't think I've ever made a dessert for any temple event that was even halfway good.
And on Wednesday, Sarah and I brought Tovah to the vet's. She likes her new cat carrier, but riding anywhere in the car is her own personal hell, so we got some medication that will make her calmer for the long car trip when we move. We also discovered our poor baby has fleas and an ear infection! And you can bet she does not like taking her medicine for that. It takes both me and Sarah to hold her down and get the drops in her ears! Ugh!
Good Shabbos, y'all! Rebecca having her lay-leader service over with makes this the best Shabbos ever!