My voice is to God as I cry out,

My voice is to God that the Holy One may give ear to me.

Inspiration

Today, I want to talk about release. It’s important to make the distinction between surrender and release. When surrendering, you are letting go of yourself. When you release, you are letting letting go of something within you.

Tonight I cried my way through an episode of survivor. On the episode, survivor players were reunited with their families after being apart for over a month. Children were reunited with parents, parents were reunited with their kids. Sisters, fiancés, husbands and wives, were all reunited. It was so moving, I couldn’t stop crying. That was my first real cry since quarantine began, and although it was brought on by a television show (I’m a sap), the release was authentic.

It felt cleansing to release some of the emotions I have been inadvertently holding on to. And it gave me a new energy of depth to propel me into the next phase of this quarantine. I’m not yet sure what it’ll look like but I’m sure it’ll be new and right now, “new” is one of the best gifts you can receive.

Don’t hold onto your emotions. Cry, laugh, mourn, reminisce. Feel your feelings and allow them to be released. And on the other side of the release, notice the “newness.” May we all be renewed in this Omer, a time of renewal.