Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet

 

Tonight is the 2nd day of Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet and it is a happy and joyful month, following the first happy and joyful month of Adar Aleph. There are 2 Adars this year as it is a leap year.

    The sense of these two months is Joyful Laughter. Though I have tried with all my might, I have laughed less in the last 30 days than in the rest of the year put together. In other words, there has been a distinct loss of joy. I'm not really sure why.

    So much has happened in Adar Aleph. The saddest thing that is about to happen in Adar Bet is that my beloved grandson is moving to a neighbouring city. God willing, I will still manage to see him quite often, though it saddens both of us that we have to be so far apart from each other. I choose to trust God, that He will only do good for us.

Though at times, it is not very easy to keep myself from despairing at the great distance that will seperate us. I am, of course, grateful that I have had him very close for 9 years and have seen him often. I am trusting God that He will not allow us to drift apart.

    I, myself, am very blessed. This last month I was able to bless my grandson with a 9th birthday celebration at Spur, where he was sung to and made a huge fuss of by the staff. He loved it! I also took him to the cinema for the first time. He loved that too! Next weekend, we're going to have lunch with his great-grandmother, my mom, at the Retirement Village she is moving to this week Tuesday. Desperately trying to fit in as much time with him as possible before he leaves the city. We also have a 500-piece puzzle to finish...

    He also leaves behind his best and only real friend. So the two of them had movies outside in the yard last night. They are used to communicating via electronic devices, so hopefully, the pain of that separation will be limited. We are all hoping and praying he will be able to come here to us for school holidays. It's the only thought that is keeping me from going crazy.

    The LORD has seen fit to bless me in the most unusual and abundant ways, especially in the last month. I am so very grateful to Him and to those who choose to be His hands and feet to me. Thank you with all my heart.

    I'm also very grateful for the learning He allows me to do. I've always had a thing about praying at night before I go to bed, but now that I understand that my soul leaves my body during sleep, I am more fastidious about saying the Bedtime Sh'ma, forgiving everyone who wronged me during the day and so on. It's the best way to start your day - the night before!

    It's a scary thought that my soul/spirit can go rushing around by itself at night while I'm sleeping - so taking all the precautions I can to ensure it returns to me before the morning, certainly makes sense.

    God wants us to live a life of repentance. We get the chance daily, with the prayer before bed, every week on Erev Shabbat, every month at Rosh Chodesh, and every year at the Mo'edim of the LORD. We should make full use of those opportunities, as we never know when we will leave this world for the next. And while we're on the subject, we should always strive for unity in our relationships with each other, as we never know if that conversation will be our last one with any given person, so let's make it count for good.

    I thank God for my health, for my life, for the day He gave me today, for people I can pray with, learn Torah with, and fellowship with, be it in person or online. I am extremely grateful for today.

    Shavu'a tov 🎕🎕🎕