Sick Pilgrim
Those of you who have known me a while know that as a career educator who follows an academic calendar, I consider Labor Day the REAL start of the New Year. That this Labor Day falls upon the same day as the start of Rosh Hoshannah, the Jewish New Year, is serendipitous, I think.
Many years, I will draft goals and resolutions over this long holiday weekend. I am not doing that this year. Instead, I am offering up a prayer of blessing for the coming year:
May we all begin this year with a renewed curiousity and excitement to learn. May we experience a sense of wonder about the world around us. May we hunger and thirst for wisdom.
May we recognize the different teachers we have in the people we encounter and the experiences we share. May we especially recognize the teachers who come to us from very different places than the ones who feel most familiar and make us the most comfortable.
May we accept and even love being beginners. While we are still learning, may we have the courage to make mistakes, ask questions, and try again–as many times as we need to in order to master the lessons. May we be surrounded with teachers and classmates who make us feel safe to try, who encourage us, and who support us along the way. May we be teachers and classmates who make others feel safe to learn.
May we be blessed with those “AHA! Moments” when it clicks and suddenly we understand the new concept or have mastered the new skill. May we have people who celebrate those moments with us. May we be blessed to be there for someone else’s “AHA! Moment.” It is one of life’s most beautiful experiences.
May we always keep learning and growing. May what we learn change us for the better. May the things we learn make us do better.
Father guide us through this year of learning, Son accompany us on the journey, Spirit light the way, Mother encourage us, Saints bear with us. Amen.
L’shana Tova!
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