A Life of Thanksgiving

Shalom:

This week, our nation will stop to give thanks for her blessings as a nation, as a people.
Thanksgiving Day meets many things to many people. For many it is a day off; a meal of turkey and all the trimmings, football and maybe some shopping.
Others it is day of attending a Thanksgiving Service, having family and friends over to celebrate and give thanks for all their blessings.
And others, it is a day to remember when our people group came, robbed them of their life, took advantage of their kindness and killed off whole tribes of people. It is a day of mourning.
And then there are those that it is just another day.
For me, as a Hebrew woman, I found that each of the Feast of the L-rd are all Feast of thanks giving, for remembering all G-d has done for us, to teach our children and say thank you.
So Thanksgiving's isn't just one day out of the year.
This year, with everything we have gone through,  I have found that each day is a day of Thanks. One of our sages, the Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name) had a habit of daily writing one hundred things he is thankful for.
And it isn't easy as it may sound. As I adopted this practice, I found myself thankful for the littlest things.
Like having a laptop so I fulfil my dream of writing. I am thankful for each of my online friends; who knew people one meets over the Internet could mean so much? I am thankful the laundry-mat where we wash our clothes. Thankful for the rugs on the floor that keeps the house warm.
I am thankful to have a home to live in, to still have our car, that Mark as a job and Monti is still happy and healthy. I am thankful my mother will come later to visit us in our new home.
A Day of giving thanks is great. But one thing this year has taught me is to be thankful daily. To live a life of thanks giving.
That's why I chose to post the picture above.
This lovely new bride, stops to pray, to give thanks, to Thank G-d that He has allowed her to reach this season in her life, to grow to be a woman and enter the Huppah and marriage. I thought about how I too stopped the day of my wedding to pray, to give thanks for the joy of this day, of entering marriage and the wonderful gift of Mark.
A life of Thanksgiving.
Not a bad idea.

Happiness

Shalom:

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Abraham Lincoln.

When I was a child, I can honestly say, I wasn't a happy one. Often haunted by an unnamed sadness, moody, depressed and painful afraid of people, often lived in a world found in books or the stories I wrote, creating my own little, not unlike Calvin and Hobbies or C.S Lewis's Narnia.

It really wasn't until my twenties, under the tutelage of a rebbetzin (a rabbi's wife) who told me about the Baal Shem Tov; Master of the Good Name. Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760), is the founder of the Chassidic movement. It was his belief that joy can be found in every day life; from the rising of the sun, the laugh of a baby, the enjoying of a burger and fries, in the warm embrace of your spouse. In all of these and all of life's moments the Holy One can be found. If we chose to look.
The Baal Shem Tov said: "The ability to be joyous, by discerning the good and joyous within every experience, is considered by chassidim as a biblical command!"
It was from the rebbetzin that I learnt Mr. Lincoln's above quote.
While I can't remember her name, I can still her thick, Boston accent voice; "Miss Elayne, you are much too pretty to go around looking so sad. G-d has given you the gift of Life. Your gift to Him is how you live it. One day you will have to explain to G-d why you don't enjoy your life."
It took several years for me to truly take hold of this truth. But slowly, drip, drip drip. Then like the melting of the White Witch's snow, the joy came to my life, joy that remains.
I found that happiness the Baal Shem Tov spoke of, I found my own Happy Dance.
Happiness isn't based on what is happening in my life. It is based on Who is in my life. The Creator is the Center of my life. Each day is a a gift that is my to open and enjoy.
Life is hard right now. This time last year, Mark and I were going to a local Food Closet. Now, we are having to go to the Food Bank. We thank the Holy One that there is a place to get food. We are blessed with our precious little Montaque who is a joy to all. While we now live on red beans and rice, at least I have my Mark to enjoy them with.
Life is hard. Life is good.
I chose to dance.