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I set my alarm to awaken a few hours earlier than normal one morning this week.  For a variety reasons, the week has been overly stressful, so I wanted to clear a few things off of my to-do list which have lived there for far too long.  Cup of coffee in hand, I sat down at the breakfast table, prepared to open the laptop and get to work.  But with the ticking clock and hum of the refrigerator as morning companions, my mind wandered a bit, until the thought of the various, recently neglected, mindfulness apps on my phone came to mind. “Why not... I’ve got a few minutes.” 

So, rather than jump directly into work, I instead gave myself the gift of 5 minutes and sat peacefully listening to a calming daily reflection, this one entitled “friendliness.”  During the 5 minute sit, the guide - in the most soothing of voices - invited the listener to remember that we ultimately have the ability to choose how to greet the experiences and moments of each day.  She cited a quote by an acclaimed mindfulness author and teacher Sylvia Boorstein: “May I meet this moment fully, may I meet it as a friend.”  The invitation is to recognize a simple truth, that this is the only time I will ever confront these moments, so why not greet them fully and with a calm and friendly attitude.   The reflection ended. In a much-improved state of mind, I opened the laptop to the email inbox and was met with one of Sinai’s “50 Days of Spiritual Moments.”  I couldn’t help but smile at the timely, thoughtful, 1 minute addition to a day that has already begun in a far more positive, less anxious and settled state of mind. 

It strikes me that whether you have a mindfulness app on your smartphone or not, these daily doses of spirituality, intended to bring uplift and added meaning to the period of counting the Omer, are truly a lovely way to frame each day. As I did, I hope you enjoyed receiving and reading each of the Spiritual Moments sent to every congregant during the first week of the Omer period.  Please remember, though, that in order to continue receiving these thoughtful daily intentions between now and Shavuot, it is necessary to “opt in.” If you have not yet done so, I want to invite you to follow this link to indicate your preference – LINK.  I may not give myself the gift of a 5 minute sit every morning.  However, I will try to use each of these Spiritual Moment emails as a catalyst, a spark to remind me to greet the moments in the day ahead fully and as a friend.

Wishing you a meaningful and spiritually uplifting Omer period,

Rabbi Ron Segal