 The Power of Mistakes.Chevre (friends),
Day Five, Thursday. The end of the week is in sight and we can almost taste the Shabbat weekend. Birds and fish were added to the buffet of life on earth during this day of Creation.
We have a large window in our kitchen that overlooks a luscious garden of herbs and shade plants. Every so often, we get new visitors visiting our flora, and during the past week, we've had a hummingbird hovering near our window.
So, I was walking my dog yesterday, and he locked his sight onto this tiny bird, jumped into the air as his target quickly vanished from sight and he smashed himself into a planter with a crash and a yelp. Ouch!
What I have noticed since then is that he isn't all that friendly with that area of the house anymore, as he gingerly circumvents the scene of his embarrassment to avoid a repeat performance.
 We do stupid things too. We make mistakes, we take wrong turns, (men refusing to ask directions and such), we speak too soon or too late. Sometimes we just need to stop and laugh at ourselves, assuming our ego's haven't convinced us of some disproportionate sense of self importance. Sometimes, if we wait, we learn and discover that mistakes can be stepping stones toward growth.
Like my dog, we are prone to "containerize" our actions into right and wrong, good and bad, attraction or avoidance. How many times have we stopped our own growth and progress as our inner voice reminds us that we already "tried that, and it didn't work"?
 Thomas Edison, in the process of trying thousands of materials to perfect his incandescent light bulb, was apparently an expert at shutting down this inner voice of discouragement. With each "mistake", he "discovered a new material that didn't work", and kept at it..
Some things do seem clearly negative, like traffic jams, long lines and out-of-service ATMs. From a different perspective, though, these inconveniences and delays might have routed us away from involvement in a traffic accident or some other harm that we avoided.
I'm going to reprint a story that I originally heard from Dr. Bernie Siegel in a workshop that I attended for cancer survivors that illustrates the importance of our self-perspective.
THE FARMER'S HORSE
There once was a farmer whose best horse ran
off. The neighbors all lamented, "You poor man, you
have lost your best horse. How terrible!"
The farmer replied, "I don't know
if it is terrible. All I know is that the horse ran off."
The next day the horse returned, leading a
large pack of wild horses into the farmer's corral.
The neighbors all exclaimed, "You lucky man -
your horse brought back all these horses. You are so fortunate!"
The farmer replied, "I don't know
if it is lucky. All I know is that the horse came back with
a pack of wild horses."
The next day, the farmer's son was trying
to ride one of the wild horses. He fell and broke his leg.
The neighbors all cried, "You poor man, your son has
broken his leg. How terrible!"
The farmer replied, "I don't know
if it's terrible. All I know is that he broke his
leg."
The next day, the Czar's officers came
and conscripted all the young men in the village into the
army ... except the one with the broken leg. The neighbors
proclaimed, "You lucky man, your son has been saved
from the army."
The farmer replied, "I don't know
if it is lucky. All I know is that today he did not go into
the army."
So, in life, we take things in stride, not fully knowing in the moment what is a setback and what is a blessing. Things that happen are just "what happened", nothing more or less. I'll leave you today with a prayer that a dear friend of mine, Tracy Friend, sent to me: "On Making a Mistake".
This prayer is to be said upon making a mistake, but this prayer isn't about seeking
forgiveness. There are plenty of prayers in Jewish liturgy that focus specifically on making amends. This
prayer is about finding the holiness, the healing and the beauty in the moments after making a mistake, big or small. It's about elevating a
mistake into an act of wisdom, charity and love... Click Here - On Making a Mistake.
May the mistakes that you make and the things that you break be catalysts to transport you to higher places.
Don't forget to join us for our next Shabbat music worship Friday, on August 13th, with guest EJ Cohen, from London, England.
Two days until Shabbat. See you tomorrow.
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Shalom,
Arnie Davidson
Worship Leader
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AUGUST SHABBAT MUSIC WORSHIP
End
the work-week and welcome Shabbat with friends on August 13th with guest EJ Cohen, a gifted musician, educator and interpreter for the Deaf.
We
begin with wine and cheese and friendly conversation at 5:30 PM. Our
music worship is from 6:20 to 7:30. Mark the date and bring a friend.
Shir Hamakom
465 Oak Street
East Hartford, CT 06118
Google Maps
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 High Holy Days - 5771
Thirty Days Until High Holy Days 5771.
Rosh Hashanah is early in September on 9/9/10. Often
we get lost in the warmth and relaxation of summer, postponing our
"return" to the reality of the High Holy Days until September. Last
year, we had that luxury when Rosh Hashanah fell on September 20th.
This year, Rosh Hashanah is just a few days past Labor Day. The time to
plan is now.
Join us at our first High Holy Day music worship service this year at a location in central Glastonbury. (Click for details.)
About our High Holy Day music worship. I have carefully selected a "bimah team", worship leaders who will encourage participation, surround our space with beautiful music from the heart, and are wholly capable of embracing our vision of blending the traditional with the dynamic and fresh.
The High Holy Days music worship at Shir Hamakom will extend the culture and music of our community into a new place of prayer, full of new insight, traditional chanting, familiar music and the opportunity to slow down and reflect.
Our theme for these Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) will be "Lev Tahor", a "pure heart". Our journey together will invite quiet moments of reflection as well as the full spirit of community, I personally invite you to join us into a music worship experience that I guarantee, will be a Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur that speaks to you in a new and memorable way, and leaves you filled with spirit and song, rejuvenated for the coming new year.
Click Here for additional information on our High Holy Days worship schedule.
Click here for information on supporting Shir Hamakom, and High Holy Day guest passes.
For this, our first Shir Hamakom High Holy Days music worship, space will be limited and we are not able to accommodate walk-in worshipers. It is important that you contact us soon to ensure your seat. I look forward to seeing and welcoming you there.
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Join
us for Shabbat dinner on August 13th.
Email us if you
would like to join others at a local restaurant following our music worship. |
Save the Music Worship
Dates!
Take a moment and put Shir Hamakom on your calendar.
Friday, Aug 13, 2010
with special guest EJ Cohen.
 EJ is a performing Jewish
musician, educator and interpreter for the Deaf from London, England, specializing in
interpreting Jewish music. She has toured with Debbie Friedman,
Julie Silver, Beth Schafer, and Josh Nelson in concerts around the
world. She is a vibrant spirit and EJ adds an amazing visual
dimension to worship music.
At our High Holy Day music worship
our cantor will be Robin Sparr-Rothman from Boston and...
our guest musician is Dr. Eileen Ain from New York.
Plan on joining us for this memorable worship experience.
Thursday, Sept 9, 2010 Bagel breakfast (9:15) and Rosh Hashanah music worship (10-noon)
Friday, Sept 17, 2010
Kol Nidrei
Saturday, Sept 18, 2010
Yom Kippur morning worship (10-noon)
Saturday, Sept 18, 2010
Yom Kippur Music, Yizkor, Neilah
Friday, Oct 15, 2010
Friday, Nov 19, 2010
Friday, Dec 10, 2010
Make space in your life for Shabbat with the Shir Hamakom community.
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Havdalah with Julie Silver and a day of Jewish Learning.
 Limmud Boston
Join legendary musician, Julie Silver, and the Shir Hamakom and Limmud communities for Havdalah on Sat. October 30th and participate in a full day of Jewish learning on Sun. October 31st at Limmud Boston.
Only $36 registration for adults, $18 teens, FREE under 12.
Arnie Davidson will be among the many dozens of presenters and performers.
Register and info HERE.
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Shir Hamakom
music worship:
465 Oak Street
East Hartford, CT 06118
mail and donations:
PO Box 271
East Hampton, CT 06424
Please note our new mailing address!
shirhamakom.com
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