Thursday, September 4, 2014

ROAD SIGNS FOR THE JOURNEY: Stay alert!



9 Elul, Thursday, September 4


On another highway trip. I passed this sign:
“Correctional Facility Ahead.”

People pass by that sign every day. They probably think it’s for someone else, not them. Of course a “correctional facility” is a pleasant name for a prison. The sign is meant to serve as a warning—stay away!

What if the warning is actually intended for me? Instead of “stay away,” perhaps it’s telling us “stay alert!”

In this month of Elul, we may or may not be aware of the impending season of the High Holy Days. “Correctional facility ahead” may be what we feel as we note the dates of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur on the calendar. Next month, we will be expected to make corrections.

What “corrections” are in order this year? Where do I want to change course? Who do I want to ask for forgiveness? What words do I need to say?

“Facility” reminds me that making changing may be easier than I thought. 

“Ahead” prompts me to start now, before it passes me by.

“Correctional facility ahead” tells me that today, in this next moment, I have the capacity to make corrections. Not only on Rosh Hashanah, and not only for this month of Elul. Fortunately, the sign will always be there, every day, to remind me to be ready to make corrections.

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