#blogElul 17: awaken

When you're in the hospital, they try so hard not to wake you up.
But they have to do it, they have to check those all-important vital signs.

I think a lot about those who work the night shift.
Not just our nurses, whose wakeful presence gives me such comfort.
But I think about police officers and fire fighters and ambulance drivers and crisis-line phone operators and military officers and....

The "night watch" goes against the grain, doesn't it? Our bodies yearn to sleep in the night and be awake in the day. Yet those who are willing and able to do their work in the dark of night...they keep us safe, they give us comfort, they help us all to sleep just a little better.

I think a lot about those who are up when we are down.
Those who keep themselves awake so the rest of us can sleep.

For their wakefulness, I am grateful.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! This year, I'm not doing a linky or anything like that -- I'm conserving energy! So be sure to tag your posts on Twitter and Facebook so I can catch them with my alerts....