We diligently call out all the places where we sinned—  “missed the mark,” as translated from Hebrew.  We ask forgiveness for all we may have hurt.  Intentionally or unintentionally.

This is the time when we are called to acknowledge our mortality.  And pray to be written in the Book of Life for another year.

We pray for forgiveness and clear our hearts so we don’t carry the heaviness through our lifetime. Relationships may need to be tended.

Mourning and the process of Grief may open up old places of loss, which was never looked at when it occurred.   Regrets that let life just slip away.  Sometimes, you live your life the way someone else wants.

Then we ask the question:  What can you do to bring more love and joy into your life?

Are there any changes you want to make?

Is there something that you want to do to give your life more meaning?

At the end of our lives, our hearts may need healing.   And we can’t expect to do a  lifetime of healing at the very end.  Procrastinators alert!   That’s where the beauty of the Days of Awe exists.  A yearly ritual to look deeply inside and think: how do I want to live my life next year?

Pay attention to your most genuine, authentic self.   Show compassion to others as well as yourself.

With the words of Frank “O”, in “The Five Invitations,” “Don’t Wait!”