blogs/estibethelbaltocom

5779...WOW! There are some years when I've eagerly embraced a new chapter. There are other years when I was reluctant to turn the page. This year I wish I could just freeze time: My kids are getting too big, too fast. The world is spinning too quickly. The days often feel too full.

I love the High Holidays because they give us all the opportunity to take a break from producing, from being busy. They promise us that we can get "unstuck.” They anchor us again in eternal values. They assure us that we matter.

This year, think of the time you spend during the holy days as a chance to not only pray but also to sit with yourself, to be with your own thoughts and hopes and disappointments. And if you find your mind wandering during shul (hey, it happens!), The Soul Center has you covered. Every program we've put together is designed to help you stretch and learn and grow.  We hope that they will help you in this process of teshuva, the re-creating of oneself.

Read through the descriptions of Soul Center programming and you'll understand our reason for being: To create opportunities for Baltimore area Jews to experience a Judaism that feels soulful, creative, meaningful, inspiring…and relevant to our busy lives.

Since our 2016 beginning, The Soul Center has become a Jewish "home" to over 5,000 participants (gulp!). If you haven't experienced us yet, we hope you will this year! Find an opportunity that speaks to you, then be courageous, take the leap, and attend...you won't regret it. Our list of happenings is without end, so check out our website, get on our email list, or reach out by telephone if you want help navigating the options.

Interested in mindfulness? Our Torah + yoga sessions have been so popular that you'll see that we've added new classes at a variety of intensities. In need of healing? Our monthly Healing Service or Caregiver Cafe are two great options to provide hope, support, community, and resources to help you endure. In search of personal growth? Take your pick of opportunities, from our Cultivating Character sessions to our Embracing Imperfection course to The Page speaker series, where we bring in brilliant and inspiring book authors (this year includes New York Times bestselling author Deborah Tannen). For those interested in a multi-sensory adventure, consider our Soul Center @ Home dinner parties (where you invite guests and we bring the chef and the wisdom leader). Or come in on a Thursday night for our new version of The Braid, now with two tracks: a “fast track” for those who have just enough time to show up and braid ready-made dough to take home and bake AND a “from scratch track” for those who have a little more time and want to make their own dough.

My wish for us all: a year filled with dreams and love and the optimism and hope in ourselves and in others to create the community, society, and the world that we yearn for. It all starts now. It begins with us!

Shana Tovah and a fulfilling, meaningful, and purpose-full 5779 for all.