History DOES Repeat Itself

Ok, I get it, history does repeat itself! Many of you know that my friend Ellen and I used to have this wonderful routine when we were teens; both our families had cabins on a lake where we would spend the summer. Our favorite summertime activity would be to take her small, motored, row boat into the middle of the lake, turn off the motor, claim it was broken, and pick up boys to tow us home! My mother couldn't believe how many times she would see us being towed up and down the lake! What fun...I definitely recommend it for summer fun! Well, yesterday my mom (now 91) and I tried to make it home in the middle of the snowstorm...the snow was coming down heavily and I couldn't get the car up the hill. Well, someone "up there" must have know my background because who showed up but an off duty fireman with a jeep and, yes, you guessed it...he towed us up the hill! Oh my, what a life saver he was because quite frankly, I was not sure how I was going to get mom home! The good news is, we're safe and warm in the house and the streets have still NOT been plowed! Interesting considering the storm started 24 hours ago and ended around midnight! The day has the possibility of a true Shabbat! Welcome to Connecticut in the winter! Actually it is still quite beautiful since the streets are snow covered and everything is still and quiet!

Yoga and Meditation Shabbat

Today was a very special Shabbat/Saturday for me. I'm not a regular synagogue goer; for some reason I can't seem to connect there. For the past few years, Temple Beth El, the conservative Temple in Stamford, has been running a Synaplex every few months. This is a totally different experience. I have attended a few of them. What I especially like is the yoga practice and the Meditation Service. Yoga starts at 8:45am; there is Hebrew chanting; Hebrew music and basic yoga postures. Very lovely and extremely spiritual for me. Yoga runs until 10:00 and then we go upstairs to the library where there is a Mediation Service. This service is totally amazing; no books, some songs, an opportunity to share, if you want and then some activity to connect us to the Torah reading of the week. This week the Torah portion had to do with Jacob wrestling with the angel (some interpret this angel to be God). When Jacob comes out of the encounter unhurt he is told by the angel that his name is no longer Jacob but rather Israel. So, Daveed, our leader asked us what we imagine would have happened to us if we had wrestled with the angel, would our name have been changed at the end, and, what would the name be and why? My reaction was that I would have won the encounter and my name would be Bella because I would have been happy that God was pleased with me and what I am doing with my life. Another portion of the service, the silent devotion, is done by finding a quiet place, by yourself, in the room. Once you find that spot the suggestion is to have a conversation with God...what a very powerful experience. Today I had one of the most powerful Shabbat experiences I ever had!