Reflective Yom Kippur, weight loss, and other things

Yesterday, as most of you know, was Yom Kippur. We spent the evening before and most of the day yesterday in synagogue and really enjoyed our services. The melodies that the cantor and adult choir chant and sing are so beautiful and the prayers of repentence, hope, and reverence that the Rabbi leads us in and that we say responsively are so meaningful when you really read them and think about them. I grew up in a conservative synagogue with "old style" prayer books and the special Yom Kippur prayers where you ask God to forgive you for your sins were so archaic. I don't remember them exactly, but I know the words didn't make sense in modern times. The more prayer book that we use has *real* sins that we all commit today and in modern language that we can all understand, even the kids. I was very proud of our children - our services are long (about 2 1/2 hrs each) and, at their age, they are expected to sit quietly in shul with their parents, not attend special children's program like they did through 3rd grade or play on the playground like their many orthodox friends do at their services (I figured out awhile ago that that is why they love to go to the two nearby Orthodox shuls with their schoolfriends.) I also expected them to fully participate this year, reciting the prayers they know, trying to read along with the hebrew ones they don't know by heart (they can all read hebrew fluently now), reading the English responsive prayers. I was very proud that Harrison participated fully and completely without any prodding (and even fasted all day!) and Jacob and Michela only needed a few pokes and reminders.

The Rabbi's sermon's words were also motivating and inspiring and made us think about how we can be better people in the coming year. Wed night he talked about how important it is to be kind to people, not only strangers (by practicing random acts of kindness) but especially those we love because when times are tough (as they are right now with the financial crisis) the ones we love the most are the ones to whom we tend to be less kind. Yesterday he talked about labeling and how we all tend to label people unnecessarily and how hurtful that is.

Even though it was a holiday, I went to my weight loss class last night because that is my highest priority right now and I'm not letting anything interfere with it. I lost another 4.4 pounds, which was great because I didn't exercise as much. So my total is 48 pounds, which is amazing for only 2 months. I'm still averaging 5-6 pounds a week, about .7 pounds a day! At this rate, I'll certainly reach my February goal! I'm glad I went because the information was very important and practical for maintenance.

Then I joined the family at our friend's the Varkels (she's the caterer for Harrison's whole Bar Mitzvah weekend) for a break-the-fast get together. They all said the food was great (I didn't eat it, of course), the kids played, and we enjoyed meeting new people and having great conversation.

Looking forward to the upcoming weekend with the beach today, Jacob and Michela's 10's bday party this evening (it's 10/10!), soccer games tomorrow, some playdates this weekend, hebrew school and youth group on sunday and then Harrison's baseball game sun afternoon. Around and in between all that I need to straighten up the house, write an article for the magazine I write for, handle some correspondence and paperwork, do a few hours of work-work, and get organized for the week ahead - the kids go back to school so I can go back to being even more productive and boy do I have a lot on my "to do" list! (And hopefully I'll remember to download that video from last week!)

Have a great weekend - what are YOU up to? How was YOUR Yom Kippur? (Feel free to comment.... I love it when you do!)