The Note of a Child

As Yom Kippur draws closer, my kitchen is whirring with noise. My Challah dough mixes in one mixer, honey cake batter in another. A chicken soup bubbles on the stovetop, one sink holds the chickens defrosting and waiting to be baked and my countertop is filled with ingredients for the rest of our pre-Yom Kippur meal - the Seudah HaMafseket. Amidst all of the hustle and bustle, it actually is a quiet moment for me to think and reflect. (When you are a mom, a quiet moment is any moment that your children are happily occupied.) As I work my mind floats in all sorts of directions; will I be able to fast easily? what will the coming year bring us? What can I change for the coming year? Along with these thoughts, a small and quick moment appears in my mind - a tiny interaction with my son Shalom.
While I am not normally the overly emotional, "mushy" type - this fleeting moment yesterday practically brought tears to my eyes.

You see, as we were getting into the car to go to school yesterday, I raised my voice at him as a result of something he said to his sister. The minute the words came out of my mouth I regretted my tone of voice - but we had to go to school. I tried my best to fix the mood in the car as we rode, thankfully about halfway there everyone in the car was smiling again.

I got to work - where Shalom is actually a student in my third grade. When he was finished with an assignment, he went to visit the "art center". A little while later, while helping some students finish a project, I noticed Shalom placing a small green envelope on my desk with a shy look on his face. When I had a moment, I opened the envelope and found a card which read, "Dear Mommy, I am sorry for how I behaved this morning." I felt my throat catch a little and felt some tears in my eyes - of course a classroom is no place to cry. When he walked by me on his way to the next class I whispered, "thank you for the card - I really appreciated it".  It brought all of my third grade Yom Kippur lessons to life in a split second.

So what does this have to do with me and my busy kitchen this morning? It occurs to me that each year on Yom Kippur we ask Hashem to forgive us, and to give His stamp for us to have a great year. We ask this of G-d each year, even when we have made so many mistakes - sometimes even making the same mistake over and over again - and each year trying once again to fix those mistakes. We ask of Hashem to look at us with love and treat us with an abundance of kindness and to forgive us.

Just as I ask Hashem for forgiveness, and to see past my errors, I realize that I too have to work on seeing past my children's mistakes. We all love our children, but sometimes, with all of the hustle and bustle of life, we make a big deal over the wrong things. As Yom Kippur draws near I have decided to make a more conscious effort to look for the great inside my children, to appreciate their smiles and laughter more - and to approach their mistakes with more love and kindness - just as I want Hashem to treat me in the coming year .

May the coming year bring all of us health and happiness and many wonderful blessings from Hashem's treasure trove of blessings. G'mar chatima tova!


Being a food blog...here is one of my favorite recipes for oatmeal-craisin cookies - a great cookie to have on hand at the end of a long fast.

(this recipe is from the Quaker oatmeal container - with just a few minor changes)

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

1/2 cup of oil + 6 tablespoons oil
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup Craisins

Heat oven to 350. Mix oil and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat again. Combine flour, baking soda and cinnamon and add to mixture. Mix well. Add oatmeal and Craisins. Mix well. Drop by  the tablespoonful onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Enjoy!