Reality Kicks – Day 16

16 Elul 5774
By Annbeth Shanfield

I am in mourning.  But this time, it is not for a beloved relative or friend.  It is for my spiritual home that is Temple Beth Sholom.  On that February morning when I heard about the fire that destroyed the kitchen, I naively thought, “Okay, so we will build a brand new, state-of-the art kitchen with the insurance money.  Think of cooking all those Mitzvah Meals in such a space!”

But reality soon kicked in, and the enormity of this tragedy reached us all.  No one can be prepared for this kind of event, but in time we were given hope for a new and better TBS facility.  Still, when I prepare for Shabbat services or any other event that would normally take place in the sanctuary or social hall, I visualize the “old” synagogue, the synagogue where my older children became a Bar and Bat Mitzvah.  This was the place where, for thirty years, we celebrated holidays and simchas, and the place where we mourned the loss of our parents, relatives, and friends.

As in any mourning experience, one tends to move on.  It is now more comfortable to attend services at the LDS Center, yet hoping that the next High Holidays will be celebrated in our newly-built facility.  I look forward to making new memories in this new space, together with my Temple family.