Toda
Toda* is a brand new holiday that celebrates gratitude.
This weekly 30-minute ritual + gathering + celebration allows you to build a practice of giving thanks and feeling thankful. Taking cues from the weekly Jewish observance of Shabbat, Toda offers a joyful and reflective space on Zoom to close out your week with warmth and community.
* = pronounced toe-DAH; means “thank you” in Hebrew
The most recent iteration of Toda was hosted by JETco. every Friday at 6 PM throughout the month of March 2021. You can find photos from this iteration below.
The first iteration of Toda was hosted by JETco. on Friday, December 4th, 2020 at 7 PM. You can find an excerpt from this first iteration below. If you’d like to read other Brief Reflections or if you’re interested in hosting your own Toda gathering, please reach out at heyjetco@gmail.com.
I. A REFLECTION ON CANDLES
My name is ____________, and my pronouns are _____________.
A candle has three parts: the wick, the wax, and the flame. We light them and watch these three parts create smells, sights, and – if you listen closely – sounds. We light them ceremoniously to mark a beginning, an end, or a time of change. But to enjoy a candle is to watch it slowly fade away, until its parts can no longer work together. Everything, like candles, becomes nothing eventually.
As I count, feel free to share a word or sentence that describes something or someone from your life that has faded or faded away.
The reader waits fifteen seconds then counts through the windows in the Zoom call, pausing for about two seconds between each number. As the reader counts, participants can share a word or sentence describing something or someone in their lives that has faded or faded away.
When there’s not enough wax to hold a wick, not enough wick to hold a flame, and not enough flame to hold your gaze, we can still watch the smoke rise. We light these candles in gratitude for the things that have faded away.
Screenshots from the first iteration of Toda.
