Hollis and I were both teaching full time in a community new to us.  With no family around and no stock of babysitters, we had scrambled to find a preschool/day care situation for Vanessa, who was three.  We were relieved and happy to find a little school located in a synagogue -- that is, until we got the September schedule.  And there it was, dotted with days that the preschool would be closed and we would need to make other arrangements for Vanessa.  I had grown up in the Midwest, where no one took much notice of the High Holy Days.  But I began to notice them that year.

And through the years Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have become part of the rhythm of my year. More and more each year, I appreciate the fact that there is a deeply textured New Year's observance going on around me, near this time of school-starting that feels more like new year than the cold January 1 version.  And the theme of forgiveness woven into the Days of Awe and Yom Kippur has become very meaningful for me.  How wonderful to have a time on the calendar when you are called to focus on forgiveness, in all its manifestations.

We hold an evening Yom Kippur service each year at CUC, open to and, I believe, meaningful for those with Jewish background and those without.  CUC members who have Jewish heritage lead the service, and all of our musicians do an amazing job with the rich and dramatic music of the season.  Of course it is not a strict Jewish observance, but it gives everyone a chance to feel some of the power of this season.  Please plan to attend this year -- Sunday, September 27, 7:30 p.m.