Forgive Yourself

In the struggle toward building your family, it is far too easy to get caught up in a hurtful cycle of judgment. Judgment of ourselves, our partners, our friends who try to be helpful but instead say the wrong things, and even our general circumstances. We can be hard on ourselves when we work towards something that we care about.

This journey, in particular, can leave people in a state of panic and desperation. The roller coaster of emotions we go through while we try to accomplish our family goals sometimes causes our self esteem to rise and fall - leading to an inevitable round of the blame game.

This holiday season, we hope you feel safe exploring the concept of forgiveness in relation to your journey. Trying to overcome the notion that we (and everyone around us) must be perfect as we go through these experiences can be a challenging task. Taking a moment to acknowledge all you’ve done and reminding yourself that you are only human in relation to any mistakes you’ve made, can be a great start. Because we all make mistakes, and chances are you have vastly underestimated the sacrifices you have made along the way and your incredible strength and willpower to keep moving in the face of difficulties.

Please keep this idea in mind as you prepare for and go through the day tomorrow. We want G-d to forgive us for all our sins, but He can only do so if we are also gentle with ourselves. Look inside and be kind to the you that is hurting.

Gmar chasima Tova to all of you. May you all be sealed for a healthy, happy and sweet new year. And may G-d answer all of your prayers with a resounding “YES!”