Connections

It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over and Rosh Hashanah is less than two weeks away.

As we pass through the month of Elul, en route to Rosh Hashanah, it is time to reflect on the events of the past year and make plans for the new one. Sad to say there is much that was both bad and sad over the past year with wars taking place in many countries, and diseases – from Ebola in the Congo to Measles here at home – running rampant.

Looking forward, we need to think about the things that we as individuals can do, to make ourselves better people and to support our friends and relations as well as those individuals who are not part of our immediate circles.

Grab any available family members and shut down those screens and go for a walk in a local park or around your neighbourhood. Say hello to the people you pass, make friends with a dog, feed a squirrel a peanut. Admire the sumacs, whose seed pods are in the process of turning bright red. Enjoy the fall flowers, the leaves that will soon start to turn and the year round green of our many native trees.

If it’s wet and cool, curl up with a good book, either from your own shelves, your local library or your handy bookstore. Share it with family members by reading it together, out loud, think about it and talk about it.

Head into the kitchen and try new recipes with friends and family. Maybe using some Solel honey as we prepare to gather around our holiday tables.

Think about what you personally could have done differently this year and, therefore, what you want to change for the coming year. Get active, get involved in something new and join us at Solel for any of the many activities taking place year-round.

Consider how to contribute to your community, whether through your time or a financial contribution. Every organization needs more volunteers (including us). Identify your area of interest and how much time you have available and make a connection.

Look for opportunities to get more involved in life at Solel. Maybe there is an activity you’d like to do. Tell us about it and let’s see if we can find other people with the same interest. Consider connecting with other members who are at your own life age and stage to share a meal with, or help carpooling the kids to Bet Sefer, or … the list goes on and on. Let us know if you’d like help identifying like-minded members in your neighbourhood.

At the end of the day, it’s all about both personal contemplation and connection with our families, our friends, and people we haven’t met yet who are our friends to be.

Shanah Tovah.

Ruth

Filed under: President's Message

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