Leaves from the Garden

Last night, Sara and Jenny went with me to the Point, to do tashlich. (For those who don't know, it's a custom of symbolically letting go of sins - represented by bread - between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.) But the Point was closed, so we went somewhere else. I'm not going to say exactly where right now, for reasons that should be apparent later.

I hadn't been to this place in at least a few years, but I always thought it was beautiful. We walked around looking for an old dock I thought I could find - we were probably in completely the wrong place to find it - but instead we found a different one. The one we found was decorated as an early Christian shrine - beautiful branches tied to the sides of the railing, netting further down the railing with plants woven through it, and at the end of the dock on the platform where we stood to do tashlich, there were fish. The fish were made from twigs and rope, with the rope wrapped in intricate patterns between two twigs in the shape of the Jesus-fish. We left them a note with our contact info, in the hope that whoever created the shrine would want to get in touch with us and let us know who they are.

It was really beautiful, and I didn't even realize it was there... not consciously, at least. There were other things we found there also - an amphitheater in a grassy field, made of just three short rock walls for people to sit on, and a rock face carved into a huge deck, with flowers everywhere...

The whole experience was magical. We never even found what I thought I was looking for... but we found much better things instead. After tashlich, we spun around in a circle and laughed a lot (Sara's idea), and then planted some seeds from the apples we were eating with honey (Jenny's idea). I think we'll be keeping these traditions in years to come.


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An update: I went back there tonight, after Kol Nidre services. Much of the main part of the shrine was gone, though it looked like the wind had done it. Our note was gone also, and the water below was tempestuous, though there seemed to be no wind. I did my best to replace the branches and fish that were still there.

I was concerned they might have destroyed it because we were there, though it could have just been the wind, as I said. After leaving the platform, we found a piece of cardboard with the words "WATCH THE WATER" on it.

To the miserable parasite who stole my credit card information and started a fraudulent AOL account with it:

I am on to you. If you can read this, I take pleasure in the fear you must feel right now, but even if you don't see this, it doesn't matter. I do not envy the world of misery you are about to endure, but I am confident that you will deserve it. With you as an example, others like you will think more than twice about fucking with me or others like me again.

In the coming months, your health will wither and fail. Your luck will run dry. Your assets will disappear. Friends and family will desert you. You will know nothing but pain, hardship and ruin. It is not my will that this occur; rather, I know that it will, because it is less than what you deserve. You are unworthy to be called a human being. May your name be utterly erased from existence, and your bones crumble to dust, forgotten by all, mourned by none.

To everyone else reading this:

Yes, credit card fraud really happens. It just happened to me. I was looking at my bank statement and saw a charge for $25.90 for AOL service, which I never have and never will pay for. (I have an account through my parents, should I ever want it, but I almost never use it anyway.)

Take care when buying items online; I bought some things recently from merchants I couldn't verify the legitimacy of, and though I received all my items, all it takes is one dishonest employee. This asshat has had my credit card information since at least August 11, since that's when the account was opened.
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Update/Note: Police report number 190425, taken by T.K. Ghafoor.