It Is Sealed

Unetaneh Tohkef – This prayer is about life and death. Part of it reads: "On Rosh HaShanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed, how many will leave this world and how many will be born into it, who will live and who will die... But penitence, prayer and good deeds can annul the severity of the decree."

Interesting how those words rang true on Sunday. Saturday was Rosh Hashana & those words are a very important part of the "Days of Awe"--the time between Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur when Jews reflect on the past year, ask for forgiveness from those they've wronged, & generally become introspective about life.

On Sunday my BFF(J) had a birthday party for her son, my son's best friend. Of course it was a month late but who's counting? I brought out my son's other best friend because my BFF(A) had a game to go to with her other son but would be out later with the rest of the family. It was on the water & the boys enjoyed the usual fun: tubing, swimming, kickball, etc.

Later on, after the rest of the other boys had left and just the three families were left, my BFF(A)'s husband brought out the mega-fireworks. We were excited because he hadn't set any off for some time--the cops kept showing up around our neighborhood so we stopped. Also, we suspect one of our neighbors squealed. So he goes out to the end of the dock & lights this 100-shot firework. The boys were all sitting on the cement bulkhead, way back from the end of the dock, & me & my BFFs were standing in the yard, behind the fence. The first shot soars up & blasts apart nicely & that's when all hell broke out. The blast knocked the cake on its side which caused it to shoot off the next shots straight at us & the kids! We were swallowed up in a volley of sparks & explosions. The cake itself then shot off the edge of the dock into the water.

No one was hurt! Thank god. I turned to my BFFs & said, "Well, it looks like we are sealed for the next year." L'Shana Tova. May it be a good & sweet year--I know that I have spent the time since Sunday thinking about things & what I may need to do better for next year--it struck a chord for sure.