This blog is entitled "moments" as there are moments in our life when we see where the pieces are all coming together, where we hear the soundtrack of creation while watching a dogwood tree open up and the beauty that is sometimes partially veiled but there always.
It's not called BLIND ME IN THE EYE, it's about finding the silver lining or seeing the glow and beauty of miraculous moments that are happening all around us, every day and every night whether we sleep through it or take a walk in the rain.
This week has been one of those weeks. Thousands of people have died in a cataclysmic event in Japan that stirs even the hardest soul to watch a little bit longer at their TV screen or computer monitor and wonder on the fragility of life. If a 9.0 Earthquake does not wake you up.... what will? "Nature" has a way of getting us to ponder deep things that do not normally arise while getting our children ready for school or cleaning the house for Pesach. And, in today's world what happens on the other side of the world is as important to us economically, financially and emotionally. That is a perfect example of how different our world is from any other time in history....ever.
We know within an instant these days of an earthquake. Some people have an App on their smart phone that shows them a figure faster than an AP writer can write a story. Our world is small, we are all on this ship together and the diversity that once divided us has been erased with the hugeness of humanity visible for all to see on their TV on the station of choice that is all showing the same real drama of tidal waves washing out villages and villagers running from the waves. We feel the woman who lost her daughter, we feel for the old man who lost his family, we cheer for the child who was reunited with his parents.
It is a Messianic world we live in where distance does not exist in the way it did years ago and neither does anonymity.
On another part of the planet, a terrorist... a murderer.. a maniac killed six members of a family brutally in Israel and we are as affected as if it was someone in our own family. People are stunned, saddened and looking for words to put their feelings into some form that helps make sense of it all.
I want to talk here about something that seems to have gotten lost a bit over the last week when while we were focusing in the news on so many stories that are hard to process individually let alone all together at the same time.... ITS ADAR!
Adar is a time for Joy! This is the second Adar of the year, and therefore it is a time for double joy!
Yet, how do we go about our preparations for one of the happiest days of the year when our hearts feel heavy from the tragedy in Israel and the triple tragedy that Japan is suffering from the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.
I had that feeling on Thanksgiving when the story was coming out of the terrorists in Mumbai and I had a house filled with people and I tried to believe all would be well.
All was not well, but there was a great miracle and a small child was saved and it says in the Torah if you can save one life and you save the world. That's how it is paraphrased, the real story is below from www.askmoses.com
http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/192,2230417/From-where-does-the-saying-Save-a-life-save-a-whole-world-originate.html
If a victory against evil was the saving of Moshe Holzberg's life in Mumbai.... how much more a miracle was it that three of the Fogel children survived the terrorist attack. How miraculous was it that the two little sleeping children were not seen by the terrorists and the daughter did not come home earlier from her Bnei Akiva meeting while the terrorists were still there?
I'm sure you remember the story, we all do. We can see it in our heads and feel it in our hearts. It was a story told around the world, not eclipsed by the a 9.0 Earthquake and the loss of life that will probably total up to 10,000 people.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/05/earlyshow/main4649757.shtml
So, when I think on this current tragedy my mind can only think that somehow, three lives were saved miraculously, a triple miracle.
This is not Av, it's Adar and we expect miracles.
But, where do we focus our energy and what do we look at?
I watched the footage of the Fogel family playing with their kids in happier times and all I could do was smile, despite my heavy heart or first reaction not to watch it because it will upset me. This is one of the most compelling videos I have ever seen for many reasons. Watch it, please.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142918
It shows a family that plays together, enjoys life and laughter. Yes, the people in the video playing together were also killed together. That's true, but where do you put your focus...on their death or their life? This is a family that was taken out of Gush Katif, which was considered to be not a safe place to live (sic) and moved as part of an olive branch for the peace movement. I remember being home that day, staring at the TV, watching the Israeli Army taking apart homes of Jewish Settlers and there was an anger inside me of wanting to scream "Stop!!!" so loud that they would hear me in Israel and yet I knew if I was standing there screaming it would make no difference. And, all I could think of was all the times the Rebbe screamed and screamed about not giving back one inch of land and all the meetings he had with Israeli leaders and how wrong this was, how very, very wrong. It's a moment in time I will never forget.
And, to compound a tragedy of terror by Palestinians against Israeli settlers living in Israel we have what I believe is a partial blame that can be placed on a government that removed this beautiful family from their lives in Gush Katif. Somewhere, deep inside there is still anger and I try to fight it, push it aside and not dwell on it as anger will eat you up alive.
It's Adar and it forces me to look for the good, for some joy, for some reason to find the lesson in this.
Three lives were saved. Two young boys were grow up, learn Torah, do mitzvos and their sister will go on to become a mother and a woman and somehow they will go on. People will daven, they will light shabbos candles, they will learn in their merit and do mitzvos in their memory. It will not bring them back to life and yet this video brings them back to life. It teaches us how a father should play with his children and how a family should laugh and celebrate life and live in the future not be bitter about the past.
We cannot understand everything that happens, we can't. Many things are beyond our realm of understanding and sometimes we just have to accept there is a reason even if we cannot see the reason clearly. Much like we stood at Mt. Sinai and we said we would do and take on the Torah, we must believe and not lose our emunah. I did not say we need to forget, we never should forget and we must learn from history.
There are lessons being shown us today from Japan to Israel and back again.
Lessons to learn, mitzvos to be done and there is time to mourn and a time to cry and a time to dance and feel joy. We need to err on the side of joy. Serve the Lord with Joy! One of the oldest and best quotes anywhere to live your life by.
It's Adar! Purim is almost here. Nissan follows Adar and Pesach follows Purim.
We must not give in to sadness and bitterness, anymore than the Fogel family did when they left Gush Katif, they found a way to live somewhere else, to enjoy life, to bring more children into the world, to keep on going and their three surviving children who miraculously were saved and are alive will go on.
It's all in where we focus our energy and our thoughts.
I see a happy, beautiful family, living, laughing and loving together with Shalom Bayis and Torah being the center of their lives. They had no control over how many hours they were meant to live their life or how they would die.. but they had a choice in how to live and they chose well.
Life is precious, choose well and wisely how to spend your time this Purim. Show the people you love some love, dance, sing, be joyful and be a part of one of the greatest stories in the history of the world let alone Judaism.
Dance like there is no tomorrow! Hug a stranger! Give a gift! Give a smile! Be joyful and thankful for all you have and all the possibilities there are out there waiting for you because where there is life there is hope ...and joy.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Kids with Signs Making a Difference One Honk at a Time :)
I don't have any nice pictures of the teenagers who inspired this post, because I saw them on Shabbos walking home from Shul and my handy, dandy camera was tucked neatly away in the drawer getting a much deserved rest.
There is a Church next to our Shul on a road with many Churches, sort of a spiritual street in a sense but very busy. They have what seems to be a great youth ministry there as they are always working on some project or another, often on Saturday and I notice them on my way to Shul in the morning. They are always having a Bake Sale for some cause or a Rummage Sale or holiday project so it's not an uncommon sight to see them holding up signs with an arrow or some such direction pointing into the driveway which is somewhat hidden by the curve of the street.
This past week they caught my eye on the way home from Shul. There were at least 20 teenagers standing with signs trying to catch motorists attention. It looked more like a Pep Rally than anything else. They were jumping up and down, trying to catch attention it seems of motorists speeding by on their way somewhere else. I thought to myself with a smile, what dedicated kids they are trying to hard to be noticed.
As I got closer the signs read variations on, "Honk to Stop World Hunger!!" "Stop World Hunger Today, Honk!!" I was surprised, I thought for sure they were selling something.... and seriously how can honking stop world hunger I pondered? My second thought was what a wonderful group of kids who are giving their time to a cause rather than doing something superficial or meaningless. But, no one was honking and it seemed sort of sad.
Suddenly, one young man started to hop up and down ferociously... he looked almost like a Jumping Jack. I didn't know guys could jump so high, maybe he does gymnastics... then the cute blond in a sweat shirt and jeans starting jumping, so did the funky looking boy with a mass of red hair. And, suddenly someone honked. And, then.... another person honked. The more the cars began to honk the more the kids began to jump about, excited that people were beginning to notice and the more they jumped and pointed to their signs the more cars honked. And, I smiled and giggled a bit thinking of all the causes I was involved in when their age in high school and how we really did feel we could change the world at that age. If we could only bottle that energy and sell it to all the burned out souls who have given up and don't believe that one person with a sign can make a difference, let alone twenty.
As I passed through the crowd I smiled and noticed the only one not jumping was an older, tall, thin man in a gray jacket smiling quietly, knowingly. He was obviously their Group Leader, he had this look of satisfaction that only comes from seeing a plan come together. I smiled a "good work" smile and he nodded back.
As I watched the cars honking, here and there I thought "so now what?"
And, then I thought on how many people may go home and give charity to their favorite cause or bread bank or donate their extra clothes to Good Will. I wonder how many of those drivers might google "stop world hunger" into their browsers and think on a way for their Church or Synagogue group to do a project of their own. Who knows? The seed has been planted in some one's brain and if only a few of those people passing by and honking do something it will still be better than if no one had seen the signs. And, if the first person who honked who immediately forgot all about it after entering the high way a mile or two down the road did nothing but honked, he may have inspired the guy who honked behind him to go home and donate a lot of money before April 15th to some group he might not have donated to earlier.
With the Chaos Theory in play, one of those kids may go on to do great things to help feed the world or stop starvation. Or a small child in the back seat of her parents car staring back at the teens may think on what it will be like to be a teen like them and trying to help others in the big world. They may ask their parents if they are going to do something to Stop World Hunger. Hey, they inspired me to write this blog entry and how many people will read this post and think on doing something. And, lastly I remembered my older daughters holding my youngest babies as I stood with friends outside of a grocery store while my friends and I handed out pamphlets on Lighting Shabbos Candles.
My son quoted Margaret Mead to me the other day in passing and I am going to pass along the quote here as it definitely applies to this and to many other things.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has"
I've often been asked if I think singing a specific song really makes a difference or if holding a yellow flag makes a difference?
I think so. How many Jewish kids or any kids listening to Matisyahu rapping wondered what he was talking about when he sings about Crown Heights and the lyrics "and I sing to my God songs of love and healing and I want Moshiach Now!!" wonder, "whoah, what's Moshiach???" You don't have to learn a new language to understand there is a purpose behind this specific song that was most likely his most popular song. How many CDs did that song sell? How many times was it downloaded on ITunes? How many times was it passed to a friend or heard in a car driving by a street corner with a bunch of kids holding up signs asking people to "Honk to Stop World Hunger?" Could have happened, the rock station up here plays Matisyahu a lot and he performs regularly at the local college... as a matter of fact he has davened in the Shul where I daven so it is totally possible that could have happened. Who knows??
What I do know is that my son is right to quote Margaret Mead and NEVER should a Chabad Shaliach or any Chabanik use that overused phrase I have heard way too many times combined with a tired shrug. "It is what it is" because that is not an acceptable answer.
When Chassidim come to a wall...they don't give up and go "wow, look at that wall! Oh well, it is what it is, let's go home, at least we kinda tried." They jump over the wall...they find a way. "It is what it is" is not something that was a part of the Rebbe's thought process, almost unimaginable to even think a Chabadnik would say it and yet I have had more than a few shrug their shoulders and look tired and burned out.
Luckily, I get inspired by kids with signs and signs in the local bank at the start of winter asking people to drop off their old coats and sweaters to the homeless. A woman at Weight Watchers is attending a class on food consumption at a college here, she went home and looked through her cabinets at all of the processed food she spontaneously bought at the market that she doesn't really want to eat as it's not in her food guidelines and boxed it up and took it down the block and across the street to a local park where the Homeless live and she left it there with a hand scribbled sign that read, "Please Take and Enjoy!"
What difference can a sign make??
A lot of difference in my book.
What difference can a song make??
Probably even more as songs are passed around today the way baseball cards and love notes were when I was in High School.
Enjoy the music and try to live more in accordance with the message of the song and do Acts of Goodness and Kindness and you can never go wrong!
Sometimes, not only do you have to stop to smell the roses, you have to slow down and honk and go home and give some charity and pass along the message and the mitzvah!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Is it Spring or Isn't it Spring?? Depends Where You Look and What You Focus On...
March is a funny time of year.
It's actually kind of neither here nor there.
The snow has stopped
Tulips have popped
And we wonder if Spring is really here?
I meant to write that as prose but all the rhymes just popped out as I was typing so I made it a poem.
There is no snow on the ground here, the sun shines brightly and rain falls from the sky the way snow was want to do a few months ago.
Day Lillies spring up over night and suddenly spread across parts of the lawn, helter skelter like in some pattern hard to define. Okay, some people obviously plant them by their mailbox but in other spots they just seem to pop up like wayward, pretty weeds.
Down the block there are two massive Pear Trees that are about to burst out in white blossoms. The other Pear Trees are barren and without a leaf anywhere, the smallest bud on the branch shows what will become green leaves and white blossoms.
Why?
It's all about the sunshine. The trees that get more sunshine burst forth with color and the ones that are hidden by a tall stand of Pine Trees go without early blossoms, sort of late bloomers.
There is some pink tree nearby that is so filled with the tiniest, pink blossoms that smell sweet and heavenly. Every other tree in the parking lot is not filled with blossoms of any color, just the one pink tree screaming out, "SPRING IS HERE!! SPRING IS HERE!!"
Is Spring here?
It depends on who you talk to...
The people who love the seasons and treasure every flower, every hour of Springtime are all smiles and aglow and don't know where to go first to get their first look at Spring. You can see them smiling in the street, taking walks and standing near a flowering tree on their tippy toes inhaling deeply with a look of almost nirvana on their faces.
Others will tell you Spring is NOT here, those are just a few mixed up trees that for some reason bloom early and everyone knows that Spring doesn't start until the Spring Equinox or March 20th which don't always come at the same time and then....there is another official day of Spring based on old legends. An analytical, scientist will tell you Spring is nothing more than a day on the calendar that has to do with the tilt of the Earth and drone on and on about degrees and orbits and it has nothing to do with flowers. In some countries, Spring is considered the time when the snow melts, differs on any given year. And, as any good Red Sox fan will tell you Spring is when the Red Sox show up for Spring training at Ft. Myers and the year begins anew.
What does Spring mean to you?
Do you need to wait until the calendar tells you that Spring is here and the official story appears in the Newspaper to let you know the weather has warmed up and that your Pear Tree is filled with white blossoms?
I have a few friends who have told me that this is not really Spring. They wax poetic on rare March Snow Falls and complain about the heating bill and they only see Winter everywhere they look.
I think it's interesting that the trees that are in the light... blossom sooner, it seems to match up with everything I have ever learned. I smile when I walk past the two blooming Pear Trees and the ones that have not yet bloomed make me smile as well... as I know that when the two big Pear Trees are green with leaves, they will put on a later show for me.. they will come around.
What do you focus on?? This brutal winter that never let up in NY and stories of possible March Blizzards or do you focus on a Day Lilly smiling back at you, an early wink to what is really here even only some of us see it and others wait for the whole forest to come to life with new green foliage and flowering trees are in their prime, at their peak, with the most leaves on every branch vs a few small, pink, buds opening up against a deep blue, beautiful sky?
Like everything else in life... it's your choice. Take my advice... go for a walk, look around, see the color and the beauty that is beginning to show itself and think Spring ;)
As for me I see moments of Spring everywhere, I don't need every tree to flower to tell me Spring has arrived and each new bud that begins to slowly unravel, open up and shows it's glory makes me smile.
So is it Spring or isn't it Spring?? I focus on the flowers and count each floral, scented hour and give thanks for each moment of majestic splendor.
I am living Springtime... even if I occasionally have to put on a light sweater :)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Appearances Can Be Deceiving... What Do You See?
Looking out my window this morning the sunshine was so bright on the green hedge behind my house that if I was going by just what I saw.... I would think for sure it was 80 degrees out there.
The sky was deep blue, the bush dark green, the red cardinal at the bird feeder almost looked on fire in the bright morning sunlight as he pecked away looking for his favorite seeds inside the bird feeder on my deck.
After being in Miami for the last several weeks I have become conditioned to wearing tee shirts and sandals and expecting it to me warm outside. While down there it was as if winter had taken a holiday, warm was once again normal and cold was but a distant memory.
I got to tell you, it definitely looked warm out there this morning but I was not in Florida anymore.
Only when I looked up, past the hedge did I see the lacy, filigree patterns that the Poplars and the Oak Trees make in the woodsy area beyond the green hedge. High up above the still brown Oak Trees was a crown of dark green pine needles, their tall brown barks mixed in with the other Northern trees without leaves and a stark reminder against the brilliant blue of the sky that it could not possibly be 80 degrees out there at 8 A.M. in the morning.
I touched the glass on the bay window where my desk is and alas it was cold, not from Central Air Conditioning but from cold air outside on the very beautiful sunny morning.
Oy, what's a girl gonna do believe what she sees and what her mind tells her or what she knows?
It's still winter, it's March 1st, the 25th of Adar.....not quite ready for Spring let alone Summer.
I opened the door slowly onto the deck and was hit in the face by a cold wind blowing in my face...
It looked sunny. It looked warm. Appearances can be deceiving.
Sometimes a layer of low clouds fills the sky in Miami on the way home from work and when the sun hits the clouds they look like a far off mountain range in the distance. Many years of living in L.A. conditioned me to see mountains off in the distance, even when in Miami my first thought is a memory of L.A. and a ride through the canyons at sunset.
Some of us are conditioned to be negative and some of us are conditioned to be positive and some of us have taught ourselves to look for the positive in every thing.
I get emails from friends who look at the riots in the Middle East as the end of the world, they send me Doomsday Websites talking about the downfall of civilization. I also get emails from friends who see the ever changing situation there as a positive sign of good things, a new world order and the revelation of miracles.
What do you see?
What do you believe?
A last example .....
One December afternoon, late in the day, when I was finally relieved from my duty on the reference desk in a busy library and I went into the lunchroom to get a drink and rest my tired eyes a bit. Understand, it's a common custom in December for people to bring to work their holiday bounty and share the calories with everyone else. I was tired, it was late in the day and I looked down to see the most delicious square tin pan with meatloaf and what seemed to be a ketchup sort of topping, wow it looked good. I took a sip of cold soda, sat down at another table and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Juanita came in with her ever present smile and asked me if I had a piece of her chocolate cherry brownie cake. I smiled, told her no I missed that and then suddenly I realized, the light went on in my head... chocolate cherry... brown and red... I put on my glasses and looked over at the meatloaf and realized it was in fact a chocolate, cherry brownie cake. I leaned down and took a whiff of the most fragrant chocolate, cherry frosting I've ever had the chance to smell.
Who knew? Well, Juanita knew seeing as she baked the brownies.
Me, with the meat and potatoes mind and born with the lack of a sweet tooth saw what I wanted to see.."food" and it never occurred to me it was brownies. Now, my chocoholic mother would have seen chocolate cake with cherry topping... trust me.
What do you see? Miracles happening daily or problems everywhere?
Appearances can be deceiving, the scent of a chocolate cake is definitive. The rush of cold, fresh air in your face on a brisk March morning can be much more definitive than what you see when peering through the window.
Perhaps that is why the Rebbe said that we will smell Moshiach in the air.... we will feel it vs just simply seeing it because sometimes what we think we see is really something else but if you smell it.... you believe it.
Have a beautiful day...rich with scents and colors and the type of weather you like the most.
The sky was deep blue, the bush dark green, the red cardinal at the bird feeder almost looked on fire in the bright morning sunlight as he pecked away looking for his favorite seeds inside the bird feeder on my deck.
After being in Miami for the last several weeks I have become conditioned to wearing tee shirts and sandals and expecting it to me warm outside. While down there it was as if winter had taken a holiday, warm was once again normal and cold was but a distant memory.
I got to tell you, it definitely looked warm out there this morning but I was not in Florida anymore.
Only when I looked up, past the hedge did I see the lacy, filigree patterns that the Poplars and the Oak Trees make in the woodsy area beyond the green hedge. High up above the still brown Oak Trees was a crown of dark green pine needles, their tall brown barks mixed in with the other Northern trees without leaves and a stark reminder against the brilliant blue of the sky that it could not possibly be 80 degrees out there at 8 A.M. in the morning.
I touched the glass on the bay window where my desk is and alas it was cold, not from Central Air Conditioning but from cold air outside on the very beautiful sunny morning.
Oy, what's a girl gonna do believe what she sees and what her mind tells her or what she knows?
It's still winter, it's March 1st, the 25th of Adar.....not quite ready for Spring let alone Summer.
I opened the door slowly onto the deck and was hit in the face by a cold wind blowing in my face...
It looked sunny. It looked warm. Appearances can be deceiving.
Sometimes a layer of low clouds fills the sky in Miami on the way home from work and when the sun hits the clouds they look like a far off mountain range in the distance. Many years of living in L.A. conditioned me to see mountains off in the distance, even when in Miami my first thought is a memory of L.A. and a ride through the canyons at sunset.
Some of us are conditioned to be negative and some of us are conditioned to be positive and some of us have taught ourselves to look for the positive in every thing.
I get emails from friends who look at the riots in the Middle East as the end of the world, they send me Doomsday Websites talking about the downfall of civilization. I also get emails from friends who see the ever changing situation there as a positive sign of good things, a new world order and the revelation of miracles.
What do you see?
What do you believe?
A last example .....
One December afternoon, late in the day, when I was finally relieved from my duty on the reference desk in a busy library and I went into the lunchroom to get a drink and rest my tired eyes a bit. Understand, it's a common custom in December for people to bring to work their holiday bounty and share the calories with everyone else. I was tired, it was late in the day and I looked down to see the most delicious square tin pan with meatloaf and what seemed to be a ketchup sort of topping, wow it looked good. I took a sip of cold soda, sat down at another table and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Juanita came in with her ever present smile and asked me if I had a piece of her chocolate cherry brownie cake. I smiled, told her no I missed that and then suddenly I realized, the light went on in my head... chocolate cherry... brown and red... I put on my glasses and looked over at the meatloaf and realized it was in fact a chocolate, cherry brownie cake. I leaned down and took a whiff of the most fragrant chocolate, cherry frosting I've ever had the chance to smell.
Who knew? Well, Juanita knew seeing as she baked the brownies.
Me, with the meat and potatoes mind and born with the lack of a sweet tooth saw what I wanted to see.."food" and it never occurred to me it was brownies. Now, my chocoholic mother would have seen chocolate cake with cherry topping... trust me.
What do you see? Miracles happening daily or problems everywhere?
Appearances can be deceiving, the scent of a chocolate cake is definitive. The rush of cold, fresh air in your face on a brisk March morning can be much more definitive than what you see when peering through the window.
Perhaps that is why the Rebbe said that we will smell Moshiach in the air.... we will feel it vs just simply seeing it because sometimes what we think we see is really something else but if you smell it.... you believe it.
Have a beautiful day...rich with scents and colors and the type of weather you like the most.
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