Jewish Musings, Wednesday, September 27, 2023

[peachymom1]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:

Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!

[peachymom1]

Good morning! I’d like to share something from JewBelong.com that I received in my email before Yom Kippur, but I think it’s relevant for every day, not just YK. I found it interesting and moving. I’d love your comments.

A text conversation with God:

Person: Hey God
God: Hello
Person: I’m falling apart. Can you put me back together?
God: I would rather not.
Person: Why???
God: Because you aren’t a puzzle.
Person: What about all the pieces of my life that are falling down to the ground?
God: Let them stay there for a while. They fell off for a reason. Take some time and decide if you need any of those pieces back.
Person: You don’t understand, sometimes I feel like I’m breaking down.

God: No – you don’t understand. You are breaking through. What you are feeling are just growing pains. You are shedding the things and the people in your life that are 

   holding you back. You aren’t falling apart. You’re falling into place. Relax. Take some deep breaths and allow those things you don’t need anymore to fall off of you.

Person: Once I start doing that, what will be left of me?
God: Maybe the very best pieces of you.
Person: I’m scared of changing.
God: You aren’t changing, you are becoming!
Person: Becoming who?

God: Becoming who I created you to be! A person of light, love, charity, hope, courage, joy, mercy, grace and compassion. I made you for more than the shallow pieces

   but you have decided to adorn yourself with things like jealousy, greed and fear. It happens, but let those things fall off of you. Don’t change, become! Become who I 

   made you to be. I’m going to keep telling you this until you remember it.

Person: There goes another piece.
God: Yep, let it be.
Person: So I’m not broken?
God: Of course not – but you are breaking like the dawn. It’s a new day. Become!

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well and SAFE!

Re today's topic: Thanks for the quote, Peachy.

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[hollygail]

WOW!!!!!

I have to copy and send that piece to a few people I know. Right now!

Oops; I can't. I went to the jewbelong.com website and couldn't find it... Peachy, please forward to me the email you got with it.

Thank you!

[louise]

Wow - what a point of view shift. I have had that thing from time to time of "the darkest hour is just before dawn", like bottoming out in some way to make room for the next thing. The imagery here invites us to change without being afraid of it. I think at such times of change we can be paralyzed by the fear. I will see if I can work this shift into my never ending struggle with clutter. I seem to need it but I know that I don't. Maybe under the clutter is who I am supposed to be.

[gazelle18]

I love this, Peachy! As I have aged, I have allowed things to fall away from me. Fortunately, not limbs, but I HAVE lost some cares and anxieties. I’ve also come to understand that nothing stays the same, and we can either resist or adapt to changes. The latter is easier in the long run.