Teshuva

Yom Kippur is approaching this Saturday.  I don't consider myself very pious, but at this time of year I do tend to reflect on sin, and repentance, and also I often remember what might have been the best teshuva that I was able to make as a girl.

In fourth grade, a new girl named Sonja came to my school.  She was very cool, and I was not.  Once she wore two different earrings and I thought, "aha!  I've caught her doing something wrong!" so I asked her about it, but she informed me, "that's 'in' now, so I'm wearing it".  Rats.

One day, Sonja had gotten up from the lunch table to get something, leaving her Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, sealed and unguarded, at her place.  I quickly slid the candy under her jacket on the bench.  When Sonja returned, she sat down on her jacket, ate her lunch, and only later started looking for her dessert.  She found the Peanut Butter Cups, totally squashed, and started to cry.

I felt bad about that for a very long time, but was too shy or too scared to talk to Sonja.  Then we were in different schools, and I went on a sabbatical to a different country, and I didn't see her again.

Until one day, in high school, when I saw Sonja:  she was my schoolmate again!  I still remember how excited I was, running to my locker, getting out 45 cents in quarters and dimes, and running to the vending machine.  I bought a Reese's Peanut Butter Cups pack, and rushed to give it to Sonja, breathlessly telling her the confusing and old story of why.

She looked at me like I was insane, and said she didn't remember a thing.  But, she ate, and even shared, the candy.  I apologized dozens of times.  We parted ways after that.  In fact, I tried to find her on FaceBook while writing this, and could not do so.

Here's hoping that Yom Kippur brings us all a chance to do some teshuva that comes as easily as that!  :)