This past weekend was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.  Jews around the world were fasting and asking each other and God for forgiveness of their sins. 

I am by no means a religious person, but I am spiritual and part of the way I express my spirituality is to attend services.  Each year I seem to wait until the last minute to decide which synagogue to attend and this year I found myself at the conservative congregation - Beth Tezedec.  Living in Calgary, the choices for Jewish spirituality are limited, and there is a new Rabbi, Cantor and Ritual Director at this synagogue so I thought I would check out what they are offering.  The sermon the Rabbi gave on Friday night was memorable.  So much so, that I want to share part of it with you.  The beauty of the sermon and the message is that it doesn't pertain to any one religion, sect, denomination, or ethnicity - it's really about humanity and the human venture.

The sermon was about the four questions one is asked when they die and are standing at the pearly gates.

1. Did you lead an ethical life and were these ethics reflected in your business dealings?
2. Did you teach your children to lead an ethical life and the importance of integrity?
3. How did you participate in community?
4. Do you believe in salvation?

These are deeply personal questions and at their core is how we outwardly reflect our own values and lifestyle. 

Just something to think about as we enter into autumn and the holiday giving season is soon upon us.