Erie Canal
If You Think I Take Grammar Seriously, You Should See Me On Rosh Hashanah
Today, I am sitting in temple for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. I’ll be thinking about the wrongs that I have committed this year and praying for forgiveness. I assume I have hurt people this year. I am pretty positive that I ticked someone off. Because sometimes I say stupid stuff. But I am working on it. Every year….
Way back in September, Leanne Shirtliffe (aka: Ironic Mom) asked me when I might want to have the Things make a stop in Rochester on their Excellent Adventure, and I knew I wanted them during the winter. Duh!
There is so much to do here when there is snow. I figured we would go skiing, make snow critters, go sledding and ice-skating, have them help us make snow tunnels, and bring them inside to a roaring fire. You get the idea. When Leanne contacted me in December, I had to decline her offer because there was no snow in Rochester. She asked me again a few weeks later, and while we were still without snow – I figured by the time the Things made it to me, we’d certainly have some white stuff. But as anyone from this part of the United States can tell you, the weather this year has been positively wonky. Here is a pictorial about our time with the Things.
I swear Rochester is usually much more fun than is perhaps depicted here. Maybe.
• • •
In Rochester, this season,
winter’s been strangely mild.
No sledding, no skiing.
for adult or for child.
When one day,
I found I had nothing to do
I opened my door
And found Things 1 and 2.
They were positively chilled
Having spent the night outside
So I brought them in our home
To entertain them, we tried.
We wanted to show the Things
A most wonderful day.
We took off to Great Places
We took off and away.
We drove to Lake Ontario.
We drove with great care.
And though I said, “Pull over carefully!”
Hubby pulled over There.
When he parked There in that spot
Hubby rolled over a bolt.
And when his tire popped,
We felt the horrible jolt.
The Things knew stuff like this happens
As things sometimes do
So they didn’t worry,
No, they didn’t stew.
They played in the tires
That had been stacked, just so.
They played until the people
At the tire shop said, “Go.”
The next morning I found the Things
They were quite a sight.
They’d gotten into some trouble.
(I’d suspected they might.)
They’d found some bracelets from GoGuiltyPleasures
and seemed a little low.
But I untangled them and told them
we’d more places to go.
We took the Things to George Eastman House
Home of Kodak fame
I explained that if it hadn’t been for George
Picture taking wouldn’t be the same.
We all began to shiver
So we drove to our favorite diner.
The Things showed good manners and exclaimed:
“This coffee couldn’t be finer!”
On the Canal called Erie.
We had no mule whose name was Sal
And the Things were mighty weary.
Still, we took them to Wegmans Market
Best grocery store under the sky,
And once inside the Things perked up
There were so many things to try.
Jimmy from Produce loved The Things
They thought the store was swell.
They hid in the red peppers
And in a pile of lobster shells.
To show them how services were led.
They were very respectful
And wore one yarmulke on top of their heads.
One night the Things seemed homesick.
I saw a tear near Thing 1’s eye.
I pulled out a postcard of the Rockies
and brought out the Canada Dry.
The next day, miraculously
the snow – it had arrived!
And Thing 1 and Thing 2
seemed amazingly revived.
They watched Tech Support at Rochester Fencing Club.
And even took a class.
And while they loved their toothpick sabers
They decided to take a pass.
We took the Things skiing
They liked to go vroom
They liked when I went very fast
So I zigged and zagged and zoomed!
When their stay was over
We said splendiferous goodbyes.
We gave the Things good scrub downs
And gave each other high-fives.
As I shoved placed them in an envelope
addressed for their next temporary stay
We agreed we would miss those Things
and sent them safely on their way!
**NOTE: The snow melted the minute I sent the Things overseas to their next destination. Yup, they are headed to Switzerland to begin the European leg of their Tour! {Watch the news for “global weirding” in Europe.}
To read more about where the Things have been so far, click HERE.
So what would you have liked to have done with me and the Things? In Rochester, New York? In February? With no snow? IYKWIM.
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Today, I am sitting in temple for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
I’ll be thinking about the wrongs that I have committed this year and praying for forgiveness.
I assume I have hurt people this year.
I am positive that I ticked someone off.
You know, for being too quick to speak.
And for that I am sorry.
Because sometimes I say stupid stuff.
And I am working on it.
Every year.
I am working on being slower to act on impulse.
That is a tough nut to crack for me.
When I perceive an injustice, it is hard for me to shut up about it.
But sometimes, these are other people’s battles and not mine.
And sometimes the things we view as major problems are just obstacles to which we must adjust.
I’m learning that it is not my job to make everyone around me change.
I am trying to be more loving (and tolerant) towards the people who are the greatest blessings in my life. I need to thank the person who always takes my morning phone call; the person who dances with me on her driveway and brings me baskets of pears fresh off her trees; the family member, with whom I don’t seem to speak the same language, but I like to believe would be around for me if I ever really needed help.
I am trying to be more mindful of the sick. There are people around me who have been struggling, either physically or emotionally. Or both. Because, while writers may be willing to admit feelings of overwhelmedness in the blogging world, it is sometimes harder for people in real-life to share when they are melting-down. I am watching for signs, so I can be a more supportive friend.
There is a lot of symbolism regarding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
If you are interested in learning more, you can click HERE.
Tomorrow, I will wander down to the Erie Canal and drop little dried flower petals into the water as I speak my transgressions aloud.
That’s right, I will admit to all the things that I have done wrong.
Because Jews are encouraged to make amends with anyone we have wronged and to make plans for improvement during the coming year, I will also bring a list of things with me: action steps — people to whom I need to apologize as well as thoughts on how I’d like to live my life differently in the next year, 5772.
I will say these words:
Who is like You, God, who removes iniquity and overlooks transgression of the remainder of His inheritance. He doesn’t remain angry forever because He desires kindness. He will return and He will be merciful to us. He will conquer our iniquities, and He will cast them into the depths of the seas.
From the straits I called upon God, and God answered me with expansiveness. God is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? God is with me to help me, and He will see my foes.
And then I will shake out my pockets, symbolically removing all the old stuff. The lint and the crud that accumulates in the littlest nooks and crannies, so I can start fresh.
Rosh Hashanah is all about making peace in the community and striving to be a better person.
So each year, I try to be a little bit better.
Later, I will come home to dip an apple in honey and wish my family a sweet year, filled with health and peace.
I wish the same for each of you.
Check out this happy video.
Now for a minute, pretend you are standing beside the water with me. What is one little thing that you would like to change about yourself to be a better person?
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