The New Year

5767 to be exact. This year, as in others, my family of four and I (Darling Husband (DH) and our two glorious daughters, 11.5 and 9) gathered to consider the year we have had and what we want to let go of or get over in the year to come. These symbolic castoffs can be guilt or remorse over thoughtless or hurtful words or deeds, unwanted psychological baggage, or some personal issues we are working on. We inscribe our thoughts on small bits of paper and then we burn them. Sometimes, we take a moment to say something about what we are discarding, but it is not a requirement.

My eldest daughter had something to say as she cast one of her burdens away.

"No more taking my anger and frustration out on people who don't deserve them," she said. "I want to learn to control my anger."

Then our youngest picked up one of her papers and said, "I have to be much more careful with sister's things - no more breaking her stuff."

What followed was one of those moments of absolute certainty, of knowing that our children possessed tools of self-awareness they actually used. We just about split open with pride.

Rosh Hashanah is about taking stock, figuring out what is working, what is not and what we need to do to correct any problems we are carrying around needlessly. I find it a wonderful time of reflection on what I am grateful for and what I need to do to reach my personal goals. It is invigorating, exhausting and although the process can be painful, it is ultimately cleansing.

Happy New Year