Dip n Dunk

Mikvah is a necessary part of the religious married woman’s life. I must admit to loving the whole idea of ritual purification, of being spiritually cleansed so that I can “be” with my spouse on different levels – physical, emotional and spiritual (and be able to hand him his darn supper plate ).  When I was married previously I enjoyed taking the time to prepare for immersion, not just physically, but mentally. I also enjoyed the me-time I was able to snag that one night a month, to go to mikvah and get prepared there without any little people hammering on the bathroom door. (try taking a relaxing bath when the kids are yelling and running up and down and there are sounds emanating from the playroom that sound vaguely dangerous in nature……..)

 

Now that I am returning to the state of holy matrimony (yay!) it will once again be incumbent on me to use the mikvah. I am so looking forward to it. Now I bring a whole different mindset to the whole thing. Marriage takes on a different meaning once you have experienced the pain of divorce. Some people never recover enough to be able to trust again. I was so worried that I would be one of them. But KoD entered my life, THANK G-D, and enabled me to believe that I could trust again, he inspires me more than I ever thought possible to be a better person and a better Jewess. (Have I told you lately how awesome he is? <insert goofy grin here>)

 

So when I prepare for mikvah before my wedding it will be a true celebration – not only will I be cleansing my body and soul in preparation for my marriage to KoD, I will be renewing my sacred bond with the One Above, washing away the anguish and the sadness and the raw pain of the years that intervened between my last dunk and this one. I was always taught that the water of the mikvah isn’t there to wash away dirt, for we are physically clean before we enter it, but that it is there to wash away spiritual impurity. Water has tremendous healing qualities – I look forward to the sense of peace my immersion will bring me before my wedding. (read more about my mikvah experience here .)

 

Now the question is how do I get that sense of peace now, while I am planning the wedding??