Transitioning To The New System

Now that things seemed to have settled down at least a little bit, I have been circling back to try and figure out the new website launched by Grand Lodge late last year. While there are many quirks to the old system it is something that I had gotten used to and knew exactly where to go if I needed anything. This new site is something completely different and I am finding that it is taking much longer than I anticipated to find the information and functions that I need. It isn’t that there is anything wrong with it, it is simply new and unfamiliar which takes time to figure out.

However, there are a few things that I have noticed that are both incredibly helpful and also lacking in comparison to the legacy system. While I enjoy having access to the names and lodges of brothers from across the commonwealth, I don’t need that information all of the time. In fact, 99% of the time I just want to see the members of my own lodge, read and respond to emails, and update and input records when needed. That is the bulk of the work that I do on the website and all of these other things just seem like unnecessary bells and whistles to me right now. Of course, that could change over time but that is what I am finding at the moment.

And this speaks to the larger issue at hand… simplicity. I make my living distilling and simplifying complicated concepts into easily digestible text and quotes… it is a necessity of the industry in which I work and partly why companies pay for my services. However, this should not be something that is needed when trying to update records and input data. There is an overly complicated nature to the new process that will undoubtedly keep some brothers from serving as Secretaries in the future… especially those brothers who may be a few years older than the rest.

But the main issue that I have had with the new system is that I didn’t start using it earlier. After all, this could all simply be a matter of unfamiliarity. Because I continued to use the legacy system for so long I am finding myself having to reenter the same information again into the new system… I could have avoided this extra work. Like many things in life, sometimes the biggest obstacle lies in the person sitting at the computer. This is something that we all learn in our lives and especially during our time in the fraternity. The biggest hurdle to get something done can sometimes be in the individual(s). In the end, in order to keep moving forward and moving this fraternity forward, we can’t be afraid to point the finger at ourselves. It really is that simple.

More Sleep?

It used to be that I would look forward to daylight savings time either for the extra hour of sleep or the extra hour of work. Either way, the following morning was just a little bit better. This year, things are a little different. While the potential is still there for an extra hour of sleep it was really more like an extra hour to stay up and get work done. And the morning presented a new slate of issues.

A few weeks back, each of us needing a bit of a respite on the weekends, my wife and I each took a day to sleep in. After a long work week, I preferred to take Saturday morning to remain in bed until 10 while my wife took Sunday to get a little extra rest before the week got started. It is a system that should work well but there are a few hiccups along the way a big one happening this morning.

Our son has been having a few issues sleeping during the week which makes him a little extra tired over the weekend. Of course, it doesn’t help that he insists on getting up at the same time each morning no matter what time he fell asleep or if he stayed unconscious during the night. Needless to say, there were a few rough nights leading up to daylight saving time and even though the dial on my watch may have moved back, the timer in our son’s head didn’t get the memo.

By the time I got him out of bed he seemed a bit out of sorts. It may have only been an hour to many but it made a huge difference to us as we were woken up at the old time. While I always enjoyed the extra hour of rest before, I never truly appreciated that hour until this year. That is a long hour when the bonus time was used to stay awake the night before. Turns out, that wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

Of course, the true impact of the time change didn’t really hit our son until this evening when what he thought was bed time was approaching… after all the windows had been dark for a while so it must be time to sleep. That was the longest hour of the day. But there were some lessons learned and mental notes taken for next year. Maybe the same mistakes won’t happen again when we adjust the clocks in the spring.  

Graduation Party

Today was one that made me think about my own experiences and left me in a state of slight disbelief. We spent a good part of the afternoon at a family get together to celebrate the graduation of a cousin. Oddly enough, the timing worked out almost perfectly and we were all ready to go and out the door with more than enough time to make it down the highway to the party. Given that we left the same time our son usually eats, this was a surprise to both of us.

The party itself was great. Not only was it nice to celebrate this milestone in life but it was also an opportunity to see a lot of family members that we had not had a chance to speak with since the bris. Things have changed quite a bit since then and the change of pace was welcomed. And, I must say, these people sure know how to throw a party.

One of the things that I couldn’t help but think about was the fact that this year marks 15 years since I had the same kind of celebration. I just can’t believe that it has been that long even though there are many days when it seems like an entire lifetime has passed since I celebrated my graduation along with my siblings (each of them graduated from college the same year). When reflecting on this, there are so many family members that I am friendly with now that I wish I had known better then.

Of course, there are a lot of things that I wish was different about that time in my life. The changes in attitude, perspective, motivation, and experience are staggering when considering my life now compared to my personality immediately after high school. There is a reason why I ended up on the 5 year college program. Thankfully, the one whom we were celebrating today seem to have their head on right and has the motivation to succeed.

When asked to write something to the graduate today there was no way that I was going to say something similar to that above. There really isn’t a need for that. All I could say was to enjoy each day (individually and as a whole), work hard, and take advantage of all the opportunities and experiences that come your way during this time in your life. After all, you may not know exactly where they are going to take you but so long as you keep your head on straight, they will all provide you with a life that is full, vibrant, and makes you excited every day to get out of bed in the morning.

Kind of wish that I had heeded my own advice as a teenager but, in the end, it may have not been a perfect ride so far but I wouldn’t change any of it. Okay, maybe one or two or twelve things but all those experiences made me who I am now and I am pretty darn happy with that. Some of you may not be but I am feeling really good about the way things have turned out.

So, I leave you with this clichéd question to think about (and possibly respond below): Knowing what you do know, the experiences that you have had, and the mistakes that you made, what advice would you give to yourself when you graduated high school?  

Clarity And Closure

For the past week we have been thinking about the previous year and considering all the mistakes, missteps, and errors that we have made since the last time we asked G-d, and people, to forgive us for those things that we have done wrong. While I cannot recall having done any person wrong over the past year, that doesn’t mean that those issues don’t exist. I apologize to anyone I may have wronged.

However, given our interesting journey in Judaism over the past couple of years, it is important for me to acknowledge my lack of observance and maybe not knowing as much as I could and not studying the way that I should. For those things only G-d can forgive. And while I cannot swear to do one thing or another I ask to be forgiven for not finding the time to improve my faith. Thankfully, I know G-d to be far more understanding than is commonly thought as I have been given much more in this life despite my faults and errors.

This is a day when our humble confessions bring us closer to G-d. It is also on this day when I think about all those moments when G-d has, in one way or another, brought us closer to Him during the many days on the calendar. Anything from making me 5 minutes later in the morning to ensure I wasn’t involved in the pile up on the Pennsylvania Turnpike or blessing us with our first child after receiving difficult news from the doctor. Those are just two of the many moments that will continue to remind me of his presence.

So, in light of the confessions above, I am posting the following description of this holy day as posted on Chabad.org. It will both provide many people with some new information and give the rest of us a few moments to reflect on the day and this particular time of year when we bring ourselves closer to G-d. Sometimes just reading and absorbing can block out the distractions of the day and bring us that moment of light and clarity that we seek during this time of year.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year—the day on which we are closest to G‑d and to the quintessence of our own souls. It is the Day of Atonement—“For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G‑d” (Leviticus 16:30).

For nearly twenty-six hours—from several minutes before sunset on 9 Tishrei to after nightfall on 10 Tishrei—we “afflict our souls”: we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from marital relations.

Before Yom Kippur we perform the Kaparot atonement service; we request and receive honey cake, in acknowledgement that we are all recipients in G‑d’s world, and in prayerful hope for a sweet and abundant year; eat a festive meal; immerse in a mikvah; and give extra charity. In the late afternoon we eat the pre-fast meal, following which we bless our children, light a memorial candle as well as the holiday candles, and go to the synagogue for the Kol Nidrei service.

In the course of Yom Kippur we hold five prayer services: Maariv, with its solemn Kol Nidrei service, on the eve of Yom Kippur; Shacharit—the morning prayer, which includes a reading from Leviticus followed by the Yizkor memorial service; Musaf, which includes a detailed account of the Yom Kippur Temple service; Minchah, which includes the reading of the Book of Jonah; and Neilah, the “closing of the gates” service at sunset. We say the Al Chet confession of sins eight times in the course of Yom Kippur, and recite Psalms every available moment.

The day is the most solemn of the year, yet an undertone of joy suffuses it: a joy that revels in the spirituality of the day and expresses the confidence that G‑d will accept our repentance, forgive our sins, and seal our verdict for a year of life, health and happiness. The closing Neilah service climaxes in the resounding cries of “Hear O Israel . . . G‑d is one.” Then joy erupts in song and dance (a Chabad custom is to sing the lively “Napoleon’s March”), followed by a single blast of the shofar, followed by the proclamation, “Next year in Jerusalem.” We then partake of a festive after-fast meal, making the evening after Yom Kippur a yom tov (festival) in its own right.