The Blessing of Family

 Shalom:

Yesterday, we had the joy of welcoming my mother to our home for the very first time. Here is little guy, enjoying being held by his grandmother. Mummie and Monti watched Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory while Mark and I finished supper.

Mummie even got to meet Peanut. Yes, it was love at first sight.

Our supper was a simple fair; collard greens, home-made cranberry sauce (Mark made that) and of course, turkey and stuffing. However, the turkey roasted rather quicker than I thought, so I had to prepare the stuffing on the stove. But it came out even better; it didn't dry out. This year, I tried to add apple bits to the stuffing; that Williamsburg touch. Everyone loved it.

Mummie brought the sparkling cider and the hot sauce. Mummie likes a bit of hot sauce on her food.
Monti and Peanut weren't left out; Peanut was getting her share of turkey from me, while Mummie and Mark shared the duty of feeding Monti.
Afterwards, as tradition, we played a game of Scramble..

Monti giving me some much needed help.
It was a very good afternoon. We talked and laughed, remembered times when Eileen and I were children and laughed over many of our misdeeds. Giving thanks for the many blessings we have; including our new home, Mark's new job and for our family who survived the blow of Hurricane Sandy when she hit New York.
The next time we knew, the sun was doing down and it was time for mummie return home.
Next time, we plan for her to stay with us a few days.

Thank You, G-d, I am Alive

Shalom:
Before sunrise, around the world, Hebrews utter the before blessing. It is the first prayer a Hebrews child learns, thanking his or her Creator for a new day. For a male, it is 'modeh.' For a female 'modah.'
The blessing reminds me of Lamentations 3, there we are reminded of G-d faithfulness to all generations.
 I have to confess, since I can remember, I have had a life long love affair with my bed. I love my sleep. I love the comfort of my bed and have not often been one to quickly rise in the morning. As a teen, my mother spend spend a small fortune on alarm clocks; when ever that hateful little bedside clock would dare cling the hour of my rising, it would find its poor little metal being being thrown across my bedroom, smashed into tiny pieces. Mother, then started putting the clock across the bedroom on my dress. The new clock would sound.
I got up, open the window and Time that day really did fly as I tossed the thing out the window.
Soon, my mother hit upon an idea; a radio clock. Since I love music, she figured a radio clock would fair better.
And she was right.
But becoming a morning person was a slow progress. I figured since G-d never sleeps nor slumber, no need for me to rush to get up.
But some twenty five years ago, I discovered a gem in my Bible reading; that the great men and women of scripture, rose early in the morning to seek the Face of G-d.
Being a single mother and often having the the first shift, I needed more than to just getting up, hitting the shower and praying I didn't burn the pancakes before I send my son to school. I needed that quiet time with my Father. I needed to speak to Him; to get His help for the the day ahead. I have a child and older patients. I needed His grace and wisdom.
It would be another ten year before I remember the above blessing.
It was an autumn morning, I was laying in my bed, as the words slowly drifted to the forefront of my mind....."I thank you, O Living King..."
These are the first words we utter every morning—while still lying in bed. It is the first conscious moments are spent thanking G‑d for the gift of life. That we even awoke this morning. I remember a dear lady I met about twenty years ago. Such a sweet woman that after she and her husband divorced, she continued to care for her former mother-in-law. Goldie was my age when she passed away. In her sleep of a Stroke. How many people around the world breathed their last before the sunrise today.
How we take the Gift of Life, our very breath for granted.
It is a new day. A new beginning. It doesn’t matter what I did yesterday or last night; it is a new day, nothing touches this fresh start.
I remember a rabbi I studied under once liked the Mohah Ani as "laying upon our beds and when we awake, there is Queen Elizabeth, waiting for us to arise, for she has a royal task they have for us.
Well, in our case, it isn't the Queen, but the One who creates kings, presidents, who created the entire world-and each of us."
So now, I am not so quick to complain about having to get up in the morning.
I'm too thankful the Giver of Life allowed me to see and enjoy this day of promise.

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.

Thank You, Mummy

Boker Tov:
Yesterday, I began another year on this good earth. As I have done for years, when I opened my eyes, I gave thanks to the Creator, to My Creator, for the gift of life. I came to be because of His will.

Thursday amoug the birthday cards I received, there was one from my mother. A Thomas Kincaid of course. Inside the card, she enclosed a bit of cash as a gift, adding to the note: "I just  wish it was more." More?

The next morning, I called her and said the following:

" Mummy, you wanted a child, you wanted me. You went through great lenghts to even conceive me. I was both a Choice and Life in your eyes. On 23th June, you laid down your life for that I could be born. You gave me life. You gave me a name you thought beautiful. You taught me to walk and talk,  to sing and dance. You taught me to read and write and taught me to colour within the lines, but not to be afraid to colour outside the lines and later to write my own stories and create my own pictures. You taught me when I fall down, to get back up and never stop trying. That anyone who can't accept me as I am and doesn't wish to be my friend, that is was their lost, not my. You gave me the ladder to reach for the stars. Even during those times I made a mess of things, made wrong choices, you loved me through them.You taught me how to pray and how to read and study the Bible. Through the example of your life, you gave me faith. You instilled a love of reading and learning, of G-d, His Word, His people. In your eyes, smile and touch I felt G-d, and it took many years for me to realised the precious treasures you have given me. You even told me Mark was the One; you knew he loved me before I did.  You have given me the most precious of gifts, my life. Given me more? You have given me the best."
For years, I have not only thanked G-d, but also my mother for giving birth to me. My birthday is just as much her day as it is mine.
When my sister and I were little girls, mummy would wake us on our birthday with kisses and singing Happy Birthday. Today, she calls us and still sings that special song. Both Eileen and I agree it is still the highlight of our birthday. Mummy rejoices in the fact that G-d has allowed her to live long enough to see us grow into women, marry, have children, even grandchildren. And we give thanks she is still with us. That I can still pick up the phone and hear her sweet voice.
Mark was a little down because he couldn't even give me a birthday cupcake.
But I can tell he is up to something...
When isn't he?

Giving. Thanks

Boker Tov;
My mother always says one really can't speak about Thanks Giving without giving thanks.
Thanks why she would give to the Food Bank and ask around her office and where she attended church to make sure everyone had somewhere to send Thanks Giving.
I am thankful to be married to such a man. I rmemeber the very first time we went food shopping together and he picked up one of the food bags for the Food Bank. He said he didn't like the idea if sitting down to supper and knowing others didn't have anything to eat.
So for the most part, we try to give to the Food Bank before Shabbat, that way we know there that a faily would be site down to a family meal (whether shabbat or not).The past yeat, we have not been able to give as often as we wish, which hurts, knowing the need is even greater.

This year we learned the Jewish Family Services has not one, but two Food Closets. One for the general public (the director said she will turn no one away) and another for the Milk and Honey Closet, this side closet collects food that is kosher. Since we keep kosher, no problem there. So we buy enough for both. This day a family in need can enjoy shabbat meal.

The Hebrew word for tzedakah is often translated as charity. But tzedakah actually means something slightly different; it means justice, righteousness. According to our Sages tzedakah means we have an obligation to give to those in need.
Hmm...
We don't just give when we "feel the urge" or even guilted. It is an awareness that we are indeed our brother's keeper. It is done to prove how good, how holy, how g-dly we are, but because a fellow human being is in need. We give knowing "we enterian angels unaware."
We give because there, but by the grace of G-d goes us.
We give to say thank you to the G-d Who gave to us.
How do you say "Thank you to G-d?'
Share your bread.

The Sheheheyanu

Boker Tov;
This morning after breakfast, I am back in my little chamber. The only thing left is for Mark to have the evergreen around the windows.

As I look around me, I am reminded of the blessings about me: a lovely home that has light, heat (sometimes) and running water. A loving husband who is still employed. Plenty of food.
Some measure of peace.
There is a blessing for moments like these;
It is known as the Sheheheyanu.
The BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NOI ELO-HAI-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM


SHE-HECH-E-YA-NU V'KI-MA-NU V'HI-GI-YA-NU LI-Z'MAN HA-ZEH.


Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion.
This blessing is said at special moments and gifts, some we thought would never come.

How we take such things for granted. Like new clothes. Think of all of the people who cannot afford a new shirt or blouse. Think about the work that went into making the garment: financing, designining, drawing, weaving, cutting, stitching, folding, ironing, packing, moving, displaying and selling that one garment. Such a wonder! The tree that had to be fell and all the skill that turned lumber into the beautiful desk before me. This is why before we remove a price tag and put on a garment, we recite the Sheheheyanu.
This is why when a child is born, or starts to walk and talk, when they go to school, on Holy days, even the monring of my wedding, we utter this blessing.
For it reminds us of these happy, blessed moments, the gifts from G-d.
As I look across the room and see my friend David, helping Mark with the dishes. A man who months ago was at death's door, now walking without a cane, putting away dishes.
I say : Blessed are You O L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, Who has granted us life, sustained us and
enabled us to reach this occasion.