Sealed

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“On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed: How many shall leave this world and how many shall be born into it, who shall live and who shall die, who shall live out the limit of his days and who shall not." - Una Tana Tokef

As a child, this prayer, a central part of the Yom Kippur liturgy, used to freak me out. The idea of our fate's being sealed on Yom Kippur, petrified me, I thought that since I had been bad, or told on my sister, or lied to my mom, etc etc. I wouldn't be written into the book of life for the next year.
Last year, though, I found a new view on this prayer and imagery. Rather than the idea that our fate is sealed, I now see that we seal one chapter of our life and move onto a new chapter. It's about letting go of the acts and events of the past year in one's life and moving onto a clean chapter for a new year.
I now love this notion, I visualized this as we sang the prayer on Rosh Hashanah. And since it's all about your own book you can learn from your past chapters. It's not about wiping the slate totally clean, it's about recalling the mistakes and lessons and learning from them. Using the past chapters in one's book to grow in the coming year.
Now, there's no need for me to fear Yom Kippur and my fate. I am in control of this year, with an exciting new start too. I have the power to learn from last year's chapter. I have the control to fill the blank pages of this new year's chapter my life.

With this in mind, I ask that if I have done anything to hurt or offend any of you, please forgive me.

G'mar chantimah tova, may we be sealed for a good (and sweet) year!