Turn,Turn,Turn!

In Hebrew Shalosh Regalim (שלוש רגלים), are three major festivals in Judaism-Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles, Tents or Booths)-when the ancient Israelites living in the Kingdom of Judah would make a pilgrimage to  the Temple in Jerusalem, as commanded by the Torah.This weekend we celebrated the second of the Shalosh Regalim the Three Pilgrimage Festivals.As part of this holiday,Saturday night was spent learning. In college,we would have called this an all nighter as we stayed up into the wee hours studying.In one particular segment of this year's learning, we talked about time.Today we as moderns, view time as a linear event. We measure and record our lives on a continuum. a long line of events that starts at birth and continues until our days run out.
For our ancestors, life was much different. Time was cyclical. There was a seasonality to life.One season followed the next and then the next ,eventually coming back to the start of the circle again.Spring leads to Summer,followed by Fall and then Winter,which inevitably brings us back to Spring again.
As I get older,I am much more aware of this pattern and way of measuring time.For me, each new Spring adds to my collection of Springs.The Shalosh Regalim serve as a reminder of this circle of time,and as time goes on, I have developed an appreciation of how they connect us to the past,not only my own, but for the generations and generations that preceded me.

This is particularly significant for me today.Today marks an anniversary,a return to the start of a cycle. It was 3 years ago today, that I sent my first email out to a friend asking him if he would accompany me on what I hoped would be a 100 day Journey. 100 days where I hoped I could bring about some change in my life. It was, a lineal goal.....100 days. I had no idea at that time,that my life would be transformed the way that it has been.
I wanted to try and lose some weight.
I am happy to say that I accomplished that.
The lineal goal of 100 days has long passed.I can't remember when it happened, however,at some point along the way,my Journey no longer had an end,a target,or a goal.Life changed for me. Time was no longer lineal. I no longer counted days, I have grown to appreciate the seasons. I enjoy the season that I am in and look forward to greeting the new season to come.Another Spring,a new Summer, a next fall and on and on and on. I have come to understand life as cyclical.
In the past I probably would have treated this day as an accomplishment. After all,3 years is a long time. Today,I don't know exactly how I feel on this anniversary, this special day. I suppose humbled is the word that first comes to mind. Humbled and blessed, to be experiencing the start of the next cycle. The one that will bring me to year four and then year five and hopefully many more years to follow that.
I would be more than just remiss if I didn't acknowledge that you have been here with me. There are no words to describe and or ways to measure what that has meant to me.
The gift of your support and company is something that I cherish daily and never ever take for granted.
I know I have said it before,as I will continue to for as long as I continue writing, thank you....!
Thank you for being a part of my Journey.It would not have been the same without you!