August - Av

Av Sunset

On Wednesday the month of Elul entered our universe; none too soon.  Av is a month of mourning on our Jewish calendar, and this year we felt it.  August - Av was a difficult month.

A war is hard on all sides involved no matter what is the reason for the fighting or what name we give to the battles, and our region is plagued with some bloody wars.  For Israel to take part in the fights for 50 days it was draining, to say the least.  

Losing friends is always difficult.  During Av we lost civilians and soldiers, people we visit and gotten to know as part of our volunteer work in our city, and personal old time friends abroad.  It added to our mourning.

I felt older this month.  The heat was harder to adjust to, more than in other summers; the humidity took its toll and a virus attacked me enough to get me down.  My body lost its energy and functioned slowly.  We cancelled much of our activities and stayed indoors, escaping the humid hot air.  

But the down times called out to the prayer warriors and a circle of love, as wide as the globe, engulfed us.  We were prayed for by hundreds of people in all the nations of earth.  We felt those prayers and we are living the answers to them.  

"Out of strong came sweetness" riddled Samson; Joseph reminded his brothers, "What you thought evil…God meant it for good" and even Job recovered "…and sorrow is turned into joy".  

The month of Elul arrived, the temperature is down a touch, the local war is at cease fire, and I am healed and energetic once again.  The mourning is not over yet, but Joy is knocking on the door.

241st Day of Praise -

Thank You God, the creator of all, for "appointing unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."  And thank You God for raising an army of Prayer Warriors.  

Shabbat Shalom,

Orith