02/10/2024
I remember last year writing about lighting my candles and what it means to me.. the prayers, the dreams, the gratitude, the wishes, the hopes… I remember sitting in the garden on First Day last year with an easy sunshine spreading light and laughter spreading hope… sharing a meal with family and friends and feeling the blessings of the universe..we all carry our loads but on this day they seem lighter.. I think Rosh Hashana – more than any other auspicious Chag – is a day where we believe in the Universe, where we embrace what’s been and anticipate what’s to be. It is a time of deep introspection and reflection.. Who would ever imagine the horror that was about to unfold over the next weeks and Chaggim… how 7 October turned our Jewish world upside down, the horror of Nova, the sights we bore witness to, the unspeakable losses… O My Dear G-d the unbearable and unthinkable losses… every life a universe to so many.. the venom and spewed anger and hatred and anti-semitism that has unfolded… and the losses and pain and deep wounds to our souls… we are a nation in strife but we will survive and we will rise and we will build and hope and dream… for ‘hope is a thing with feathers’ and we need to fly.. high and free and proud..
On a personal level - I apologise for all the unanswered phone calls and whatsapps and emails – what sometimes appears as arrogance or complacency is truly neither – I sometimes just can’t keep up. What seems simple is sometimes complicated and what’s complicated needs simple focus – I am on a journey and I am trying ! I try to balance a function for 300 with a meal for three – as both are equally important. I try to be calm and focused when often inside I am trembling and over anxious. We all try and we are trying to streamline and improve daily ! I always say Hertz Hire claims ‘We are Number 1’, while Avis always said ‘We Try Harder’ – we are Avis, trying to up our game ! adding a dash of vigour, a new taste, a sprinkling of herbs, a pinch of love in every dish ! We have built Flavours one perogen at a time and I never take that for-granted! I am so grateful for the Flavours community – the people who support us and love us even when the cookie crumbles.. I am so indebted to our Flavours team who rise early and go to bed late to make this all happen! And they do it with grace and a smile..
I pray for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual strength not just for myself and my family but for all of us – individually and collectively. I pray for meaningful connections with those I love and for those I love. I pray for the inner resolve to see gratitude even when things seem unfair and cruel. I pray for the hostages return, I pray for the bereaved families that they may find some solace and comfort any which way they can...even a glimmer. Mostly, I pray for peace – peace deep within, peace in the home, peace in our connections, peace for our beloved Israel and peace in South Africa and the world.. The sun will forever rise.. even on a cloudy day. For me to be human is to hope, and today, even when we wake to feuds and fear and fire and missiles may we carry a message of hope deep within. So as we Light Candles, let us imagine the power and light of so many candles around the world …. Shana Tova to you and yours ### Delores