Yom Kippur Hiking (or How to Trade Atonement for Beauty and Love)
We had planned on going to the Teen Service for Yom Kippur up until about an hour and a half before it started. Then we decided to ask the boys if they wanted to go to the Teen Services.
Ryan said yes at the same time Jonah and Garrett said no. Sheepishly, and feeling rather empowered that "no" was a valid answer, Ryan quickly said, "Well, no. Not really."
So we decided to get out into nature!
We went to Beaver Lake Nature Center and took a beautiful hike along their "Bog Trail" (mostly on a boardwalk through a marchy Fen).
We talked about starting anew. We talked about changes we would like to make in our lives and how to make those changes. We talked about accepting and then releasing any negatives from the past year.
We decided that the biggest "negatives" were the times when others wouldn't let us Be Who We Are. We talked about times when we let others decide who we "should" be, rather than listening to our own inner Voice.
We talked about ways we can let others Be Who They Are.
And we talked about being each other's cheerleaders as they explore their Uniqueness.
We assured the boys (and Meredith, too) that our number one job as parents was to be their personal cheerleader, in whatever they choose for themSelves.
And we explored the beauty of our day and our surroundings.
And explored.
And discovered.
And (dare I say it?) --Learned!!!
And came home with a greater sense of Self!
Crying again. After re-reading this one again. This is one of my favorites.