Isn't this weird
It's Tisha B'Av, the 9th of Av, a fast day. Not fasting - I'm on meds - but still remembering the meaning of today. I'm pretty lucky here...good marriage, good times. I can't think to be sad today, despite the war in Israel, the nature of today. I guess, in addition to being a day of mourning, Tisha B'Av is a day of reflection, and this year I am thankful. I am angry at the injustice in the world, but I am thankful for the beauty and love in my life.
But Av is more than a month of mourning. It's a month of new beginnings, a month of meeting.
Turns out Ben and I met right around Tu B'Av, or the 15th of Av. I just learned that the 15th of Av is an auspicious day for couples to meet. We've been together 10 years this summer. What does that mean? Kismet? Maybe.
http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshchodesh/av/tubav.htm
That's the thing about Judaism. You learn something new every day, and every time you learn, it enriches you. Just when you think you know it, like you have a handle on it, that's when a new curve comes. I wonder if it's really thrill of learning, or just the effects of albuterol and zoloft in a heat wave, but it's blissful. I don't want to let this feeling pass.
I used to spend Tisha B'Av talking to my grandfather. He's long dead, having died when I was 13. Still, I would, after reading from Lamentations, talk to him, imagine that he heard me, while I told him about my life. I did this from the summer he died up until the summer before Charlie was born. It was my way of connecting to him, my way of reevaluating my life from summer to summer.
I wonder why I stopped. I guess it was just the change in schedule. The baby craziness...I no longer went out at night to talk at the stars. I no longer read from Lamentations on Tisha B'Av. And I don't feel like I even can anymore. I guess I should start again.
But Av is more than a month of mourning. It's a month of new beginnings, a month of meeting.
Turns out Ben and I met right around Tu B'Av, or the 15th of Av. I just learned that the 15th of Av is an auspicious day for couples to meet. We've been together 10 years this summer. What does that mean? Kismet? Maybe.
http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshchodesh/av/tubav.htm
That's the thing about Judaism. You learn something new every day, and every time you learn, it enriches you. Just when you think you know it, like you have a handle on it, that's when a new curve comes. I wonder if it's really thrill of learning, or just the effects of albuterol and zoloft in a heat wave, but it's blissful. I don't want to let this feeling pass.
I used to spend Tisha B'Av talking to my grandfather. He's long dead, having died when I was 13. Still, I would, after reading from Lamentations, talk to him, imagine that he heard me, while I told him about my life. I did this from the summer he died up until the summer before Charlie was born. It was my way of connecting to him, my way of reevaluating my life from summer to summer.
I wonder why I stopped. I guess it was just the change in schedule. The baby craziness...I no longer went out at night to talk at the stars. I no longer read from Lamentations on Tisha B'Av. And I don't feel like I even can anymore. I guess I should start again.