[Devora]

Shana tova!

While Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur always have deep meaning for me, I have to say that this year there is something different as I wait to become a parent. I'm still early in the process, but if all goes well my husband and I should be bringing our child home from Guatemala sometime next summer. So at the beginning of RH services I found myself thinking that this will (hopefully) be my last year of Holy Days without my someday-child.

And listening to the haftorah about Hannah -- a story I have always loved -- took on a whole new meaning. It left me with a feeling that I really can't quite describe, other than to say that there was a kind of joy and anticipation that I haven't ever felt before. And there was that sense of time collapsing (I know there's a Hebrew phrase for that, but don't remember what it is), as if it wasn't just a story from long ago but rather that Hannah was uttering her prayer right now. Because adoption for us was a choice we made before it became medically the only option we had for raising a child, my experience isn't the same as Hannah's. But still, I understand her longing.

I don't suppose there's really a question in this post or anything to reply to. I just thought I would share this with people who might have had a similar experience.

Thanks,
Devora