Friday Dispatch: Garnets in the Gravel
Sifting through the week for jewels
Friday greetings,
I am having a bear of a time this morning getting going. Mind you, I’ve been awake since before 6:00am, thanks to a certain hungry bulldog. But I have been like molasses today and have nothing in particular in mind to write about.
I always think of Fridays as my day to come in for a landing, the passageway between the full week and Shabbat, which is the day of the week that I decidedly don’t do any work. This week is no exception. And, as I told a client this week, I rarely have any idea on Friday morning what I will end up writing here. This week is also no exception. Usually, I just start – like this – and (usually) something emerges.
In a group called Jewels on the Path I’ve led on and off since 2016, on Friday mornings, I invite participants to consider their “jewels” from the week. This image hearkens back to the summer camp my sisters and I went to, where a gravel path was full of dusty garnets and you had to really slow down and pay attention to distinguish the garnets from the gravel.
Thinking about this is pointing me toward embracing my slowness this morning. With that, I’ll share this practice as an offering and an invitation.
Here we go!
Note: Be sure to read to the end – registration is now open for the September 25 “Writing Into the Days of Awe” workshop!
THIS QUOTE FROM MARCUS AURELIUS (Meditations c. 170-180CE):
"Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought."
This was timely for me, and so very true in my experience. (It’s also a bit of a meta-jewel, as the practice of sifting for and finding your jewels is its own practice in shaping your mind.)
THE START OF THE 2024-25 EBB AND FLOW SCHOOL YEAR
Eight women have embarked on 10 months of writing practice. Once again, I feel humbled, inspired, and grateful for the opportunity to facilitate this space of commitment, connection, and creative exploration. Yay!
THERAPY.
So hard and so worthwhile. (Also, my therapist speaks Yiddish. I mean, is that beshert or what?)
DREAM(Y) WORK
Working with a rabbi client on her High Holiday sermons drafts. Seriously, it is SUCH a dream to braid together these different passions and to get to collaborate with intelligent, caring, thoughtful people on shaping their words.
MY MOTHER’S JADE
Around 50 years ago, this jade and I were both wee new beings. The jade was a housewarming gift from my grandfather to my mom. I was… well… me. Confession: When I was little, I used to pick off its leaves because I liked their texture when I dug my fingernail into them. (Sorry, jade!) We both had beautiful babies of our own and grew in all kinds of uncontainable and ultimately healthy ways. When we moved in June, the jade came with us from my parents’ house, and it basked all summer on the sunporch. This week, it came inside and found a new spot in the corner of the dining room, where I hope it will enjoy the morning light and thrive until spring. I’m so grateful for this mother plant and how it connects me to the past with nothing but beauty and wild thriving.
NEW BEGINNINGS
I had the pleasure of celebrating the inauguration of the new Jewish Studio Project space at Hebrew College last night in Newton, Mass. Being there in person was so wonderful! We did some Torah study (a short but rich deep dive into a few texts about creation and new beginnings) and creative process (everyone made a blessing card to contribute to the dedication of this sacred new space). I love being part of the growing JSP network and am currently working on my practicum proposal. (Stay tuned.)
THIS VIDEO
I watched this video today. And then I watched it again, and a third time. It’s beautiful and painful and uplifting and conflicting. It’s uniting and galvanizing and stirring and compelling. It’s soul-searching and claiming and belonging and loving. In a word: It’s (still) Jewish. Maybe you can share it with someone in your world who could use the reminder. (Or maybe you could use the reminder.)
So, there are some of the jewels from my week, dear reader.
There were others, like starting and finishing a new poem, which I submitted to the beautiful, brand new Judith Magazine. Sweet texts and catch-ups with my kids. Watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame with M.J. Spending time with my parents. Early morning neighborhood walks. Snuggling with Chupie.
Sifting through the gravel of the very busy weeks reveals jewels I may not have taken the time to hold up to the light had I not embraced the slowness of taking the time to do so.
How about you? What were some of your jewels this week? Share in a comment if you’re so moved – it’s always special to get to hear about each other’s lives.
Lastly: Registration is now open for an upcoming workshop. Details are below – I’d love to see you there!
Shabbat Shalom and love,
Jena
WRITING INTO THE DAYS OF AWE
Wednesday, September 25
12:00-1:30pm EST, Zoom
Because the Jewish calendar is lunar, the dates of holidays move around on our Gregorian calendars. That's why we say things like, "The holidays are early/late this year." (Thanks to my old friend David Steinberg, a rabbi, I now know someone even wrote a poem about this!)
This year, the High Holidays aren't until October, giving us what feels like a longer runway to prepare. But what does it mean to prepare? Can't you just dip some apple slices in honey and call it good? 🍎🍯
Yes, of course! And, the Hebrew month of Elul also offers us something else: An invitation to begin the process of self-reflection and communal reckoning at the heart of the Jewish new year and the Days of Awe.
If you'd like to carve out some space in your life for this inner work, I invite you to join me on Wednesday, September 25. During a special 90-minute Zoom session, we will hear some Elul-related writings, brainstorm prompts together, and move our pens across the page (or hands across the keys).
No special Jewish or writing backgrounds are required – just come to listen to yourself, witness others, and engage in the sacred process of turning inward through writing.
Jena. that video! Thank you for it. Just signed up your Writing into the Days of Awe. Looking forward to it