Last week, two days before 9/11 was the 25^th anniversary of my coming to know that Yeshua is the Messiah. He transformed my life that day and each day since then. Over these many years I’ve learned more about His Truth as He continues to be part of my daily thoughts, prayers, and actions.

In 2001, two days after my literal epiphany when the horror of 9/11 unfolded, and until recently, I had mused that perhaps God had “zapped” a multitude of people around the world at that same time to believe in Yeshua, as He did me, an unsuspecting, unlikely candidate to be called into His service. With the way the world looked back then it seemed that perhaps in those seemingly horrific days many would be enlisted to fight for His Kingdom here on earth.

I’ve retained that belief. Yet in these more recent years, and days, I’ve come to think somewhat differently about what it means to fight for His Kingdom.

You may recall that during camp this summer when the campers were away on their overnight adventure Sid and I visited our almost 98 year old aunt and her autistic 73 year old son who were being cared for at their rather remote home in the Catskills. We had not seen them in awhile so I was really looking forward to spending time there, especially with Aunt Naomi.

What a treat it was!! She lit up when she and I sang together to my simple ukulele accompaniment, bringing back songs she remembered from her youth and memories from the years when she was an elementary school teacher. For a woman who her caregiver said slept most of the time, I can vouch for Aunt Naomi’s smiles and ability to remember multiple song lyrics, at least for those hours we shared together as she relived happier times through companionship and music.

So this week when her niece called to say this dear aunt was not doing well, was on morphine, not eating or drinking and probably only had days left, I called her and sang some of those same songs with her over the phone that we had enjoyed this summer. I could hear her respond, mumble along. Unexpectedly, sooner than anticipated, she died peacefully in her sleep that same evening. I am so glad I didn’t wait to reach out to her, that I loved her through music when I did. . .

______

I don’t think we’re here to fight in the sense that I had been thinking after 9/11, though being bold in our faith despite adversity and criticism is paramount. Rather, I think we are here to fight to love others, to fight for joy when sorrow surrounds us, to fight to be kind when we don’t feel like it, to fight to forgive when it’s hard to do so, to fight for the light and good in this world when darkness surrounds us.

It was clearly not a coincidence that on the way back from visiting Aunt Naomi in the summer we stopped at the site of the 1969 Woodstock concert with its motto resplendent, “3 Days of Peace and Music”. It was a time of love.

As I write this from the peaceful deck of my home a magnificent Monarch butterfly gliding on the sea breeze just filled my gaze as if to confirm these ponderings . . .

We are in the holiest of days, the Days of Awe, a time to look back at our lives and relook at how we have been living, a time in a few days to die to how we were, even if we were trying to live lives of love, to do better, and to emerge a new creation in Him. That annual timing for this opportunity to try even harder is no accident as we face these very challenging days, not unique but seemingly ever growing in hardship and pain, if not by you personally, true for others in your lives who need you to love them through it. We are given a chance to start again every year and to be challenged to remember to love harder every day as we interact with others in between the new beginnings.

Without question our world needs more love. These are the holy days given to us as a people, to change our hearts so we can become who we have been created to be – formed in His image and put on earth to love others unconditionally.

We are not in positions to stop planes flying into buildings but we can love our neighbors one on one within the spheres of influence in which we live, work, and interact. So hard to do at times, but that’s how we grow our love muscles. It can’t be any harder than how unconditionally God still loves us and we sure are a mess! We’re only people, clearly not divine, so it’s okay to fall short of the goal just so we keep trying. I guess that’s what the cliché “To fight the good fight” means – fighting to love, especially when to do so is not easy, even to love our enemies.

As I was so shockingly reminded with Aunt Naomi’s sudden death, and other events in my life at the moment, our time here is precious. Don’t wait to give your love, for it is holy, directly from our Creator. We never know what the next day will bring with opportunities to share our love with our loved ones, and with those waiting to be loved. Boldly love the unlovable who need it more than you know, for truthfully, Yeshua showed us how to do that, and He knew that pain only too well.

If we take on this challenge, reinspired during these Days of Awe, we will come ever closer to building His Kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven, as we all have been called to do.

Shabbat shalom and L’shanah tovah.

Diane