Melilyn.com

It was really entertaining coming home to my loyal feed reader today after work and reading entry upon entry of “Merry Christmas!” and “Happy Holidays!”

Pardon me for being a little Scrooge-y today, but today at work I saw a lot of cranky Christmas shoppers. Seriously, everybody was grouchy, hurried, and had awful attitudes. It’s like the entire town was PMS-ing on the same day.

You’re probably thinking I’m just saying that because I don’t even celebrate Christmas, but I used to, and I noticed it then. I feel bad for God on days like these, because the entire world’s gone greedy and grouchy, and all in His name. Unfair for him!

So this Christmas, remember why it is you are all celebrating, and try to smile and be nice to people for a change. As for me? Happy Hanukkah, guys!

Tomorrow after work I’m headed down to Sulphur with my family for Sukkot. I only get to spend four out of the eight days with them, but that’s still better than nothing (or worse yet, backyard camping, which is like… being in denial that there’s something better to do).

It’s just us… no big hoopla, just a couple of tents and some Sukkot merriment. And whoever else drops by. I’m just happy I’ve got four days off work in which I can chill by the lake and write (only because taking my guitar would mean noise pollution… because I stink so far).

Anyhow, all that to say, I won’t be online for the next four/five days. See you all Tuesday!

The other night, my family and I went out to a lake in Tecumseh for Rosh HaShanah. It’s like a family tradition with us, to go to a body of water of some sort, and throw bread in the water. I can’t even remember the name of the service; we’ve only done it with others once.

For those not in the know, the bread is supposed to represent our sins. We empty our pockets of sin, and throw it in the water where it is carried far away from us. This is in preparation for the ten days leading up to Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement.

Usually we’ve gone to a moving body of water; a river, a stream, or a lake with movement. This year, the water was like glass. No waves, no movement. I got a completely different experience. As I threw each piece of bread in, it disturbed the water, and well-defined ripples radiated out from it, growing fainter and fainter until they completely disappeared.

It kind of spoke to me… the water wasn’t just taking my sins downstream, for someone else to deal with, but was almost diffusing it… making it disappear.

The fish helped. We attracted lots of them. Anyhow, just felt like sharing. Happy New Year!