I love the weather, being out in nature, and the fact that it gets dark so late.
I treasure being able to step back a bit from the hard pace of the year, rediscover passions, and strengthen friendships.
I appreciate the chance to return to a true sense of self.
But what I cherish most is the chance to reconnect to my family.
Most years, when our kids get out of school, we take a family trip. Some years this means loading up the car and experiencing parts of America, other years we manage to journey abroad. In this time we bond in a way that is easily identifiable as profound, and perhaps even ‘holy’.
Not that its ever easy (or quiet) to suddenly march to the same tune, all at the same time, on the same schedule. Personal space becomes a joke. It can get…intense.
But gradually, and gladly, we begin to groove.
And this unified rhythm sets the pace for us in a way that seems to sustain us for the rest of the year. Afterwards, we borrow what we have gleaned on these trips together, about what it means to be a family…about what it means to be in love. And we hold onto this, with confidence and faith, into the cooler months to come.
A knowledge that makes life worth living.
Blessed are you, the Eternal our God, who stretches out the earth over the waters.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם רוֹקַע הָאָרֶץ עַל הַמָּיִם
Shabbat Shalom