Return to Yourself

This week is Shabbat Shuva - the Shabbat of "returning".  It falls between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, and it is a special time wherein we have a unique ability to hear the call of our souls -- our inner-selves -- and to "return" to the person we have always been meant to be. What a gift!!  What an opportunity!! But then... Y'see, you don't really know me.  You don't know how badly I've screwed up.  Some things just can't be fixed.  Some things are just too shameful to forgive. Returning to my inner self sounds like a beautiful idea.  But I can't help feeling that I've wandered too far away, and maybe I am simply "lost".  Maybe even for good. But there is good news.  It might sound crazy, but HaShem saw you make every mistake you ever made.  And believe it or not, He forgave you at the very moment you made your mistake.  So guess what??  You are not totally lost.  You are not beyond redemption.  You were never alone. But here is the challenge: You just have to be able to look in the mirror and forgive yourself. Attached please find this weeks Shu-Shine on the Torah portion of 'VaYelech' and Shabbat Shuva: "Return to Yourself". May we all be blessed to reconnect with our pure inner-voice, to fall in love with the person in the mirror, and to forgive ourselves for being the natural human beings that we are. This weeks shu-shine is dedicated to the friend who called me on Thursday, asking if I was disappointed in him.  Please, love yourself as much as your friends and family do; and forgive yourself for being human. O:-) With Love and a Smile, ~Shu