ABSILVER's World

Labels, how do you see yourself? Saturday is National Coming Out Day.  If you are straight, you probably haven't thought about coming out!  Most people, unknowingly, are assumed to be straight, and thus, the need to "come out" is perhaps a little strange.  There are some interesting nuances in today's world.  Children of gay parents may at times feel odd about coming out straight, but I assume in most gay families, the assumption until heard otherwise is their children are, for lack of a better term, straight. I have been out to my family for over 20 years and out in most work and friendships for at least that long, so the idea of coming out is behind me.  I am not sure if people can tell when I am on a plane, train, or walking on the beach, but here I am out and proud, as they say. What does this have to do with labels? We all have a unique desire to label ourselves so people can accurately put us in a category of familiarity.  It happens in our init...

Where will I be this Yom Kippur? For so long in my life, Yom Kippur and Kol Nidre, helped define how my year would be.  There are so many memories to share. For those of you who do not know, Yom Kippur is a holiday called the "Day of Atonement", and actually is ten days after Rosh Hashanah.  That period of time is a time of celebration of the new year, but is also a time of repentance and prayer for a healthy and prosperous new year.  G-d is passing judgment on all humans and deciding their fate for the coming year. As a kid, Rosh Hashanah was the fun holiday.  The shofar was blown in Synagogue.  The meals from my Mom, Granny and Aunts were wonderful and everyone was celebratory.  The synagogue and ark coverings were changed to all white, and there was a feeling of what a New Year should be.  But lurking in the liturgy and prayer, were these repentant theme of confession, repenting, and praying to be inscribed in the book of life and to have ...