2 things that made me tear up today:

1. I watched a homeless man at the intersection off the highway try to smile at cars stopped at the light. I can’t imagine being in his position and can’t imagine the loneliness of having people avoid eye contact with me so much that smiling feels like a vulnerable act.
2. I saw an elated little girl run off the bus with her arms open. When the bus passed, I could see that she was running at her dad.

We celebrate Sukkot as a reminder that this world isn’t our home, it’s all temporary, and there’s something better + more meaningful + more beautiful to come. I’m hopeful for Heaven, where even the beggars are seen and known by name and have an invitation to sit at a banquet table beside me. And I want to have the posture of that little girl getting off the bus— arms open, pure joy, no shame to be welcomed home by my Dad who loves me and has been waiting for my return.

We celebrate Sukkot to be reminded of the Israelites in the wilderness. So in the waiting, I’ll seek the good in everything, but I won’t stop hoping for the Promised Land.