Jewish Musings, Thursday 8/22

[lee058]

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:



Frieda (hopefully)?

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!

[lee058]

I'm writing this on Wednesday, as I need to return to the lab Thursday morning. Hope all is well for everyone!

Thursday's topic: Responsibilities; what are some of yours that you either enjoy or feel fulfilled by doing?

For me, it's keeping track of family appointments and needs. I feel like my work is essential to everybody's functioning! This makes me feel needed and good about it.

How about you?

Hope you are all feeling peaceful, Lee

[hollygail]

I have had a "connection" of sorts with Torah for a few decades. I am the person responsible at my congregation to line up Torah readers for every Torah reading (which in my congregation's case, is not every Saturday). I derive great satisfaction from listening to Torah reading.

I also teach and tutor people who are becoming b. mitzvah, mostly kids, at several congregations around the county, along with either individual adults who wish to become b. mitzvah, most of whom did not have the opportunity to do so around age 13. I do so at several congregations (Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative) in San Diego County (and right now for one family in Taos, NM; the dad is the brother of another dad from a local Reform congregation whose two kids I taught and tutored through their b. mitzvah some years ago). In addition, I teach/tutor individuals who are not members of a congregation and who've heard about me through friends or relatives (I've officiated at numerous b. mitzvah over the years, borrowing a Torah scroll and having the parents rent the oldest synagogue in San Diego which has been purchased by the City of San Diego and relocated it to the main tourist area; it has become an official San Diego landmark). In addition to being paid to teach and/or tutor individuals, I experience great joy from witnessing one of my students successfully maneuver all the parts of becoming b. mitzvah.

[louise]

I have many responsibilties at my job and with my synagogoue. Although I am sometimes overwhelmend I am mostly grateful for these as they are very satisfying to me. Not so good with my responsibilities to myself.

[peachymom1]

One thing I especially enjoy about my job is arranging everyone's travel and then doing their expense reports afterward. Whenever someone tries to do either of these things for themselves, they inevitably do something wrong, leave something out, or forget an important element. I tell everyone that they have more important stuff to do, and to let me take care of this for them, and they do. I like the feeling of satisfaction that I'm doing everything correctly and completely, according to company policy and our auditors. I also like the feeling of taking care of people. I do these things every day, and it makes more sense for me to do it than for everyone to try to figure it out for themselves each time.

I'm going with DH to the ophthalmologist at 4:00 p.m. to discuss cataract surgery for him. I'm hoping we can get it scheduled sooner rather than later, hopefully before HHD.