BEATS ME!!

  Understanding or making sense of the whys and wherefores of life, that is. The older I get the more confused, particularly with the devolvement of civil behavior and understanding and practice of proper ways to proceed.  At times, taking a step back, I wonder where the hell were their parents?   Evidently not a one of the maxims of life's proper behaviors seemed to be known to them. The same ones my parents drilled into the very core of my being. Nothing complicated - simply an awareness of the peoplehood of others and the simple, but difficult task of treating others as you wish to be treated. To respect others as you are to be respected. Simple, yet apparently difficult. 

As we dehumanize others, so we are dehumanized until peoplehood, points of unity, are discarded and the end results are not pretty. We try to ignore the thunderous, yet silent screams of the oppressed. We shield our eyes and souls from the flashing warning lights of danger ahead. We limit our vision to that which benefits only ourselves even as it harms others. We justify that behavior by saying we all need to watch out for number one. They can watch out for themselves. Not our job nor responsibility. Yet they so are.

 When we tote up our lives at introspective moments, particularly as one ages, we will see the red and the black totals of our lives. Do we wish to have lived a life where the glaring red of debits shouts out even as the black assets are anemic, faded? 

Often too late we make the obvious discovery that it is our lives and the lives of our loved ones which have been damaged, worth less than their true intrinsic value. The many shortcuts we have taken through life have come back. They were never gone, merely biding their time for the just ripe moment to return. Too late the realization that short cuts leave behind sharp remnants which linger and intrude into our lives with often disastrous consequence. Achievements are undone, devalued and advantages turned to dust or disadvantages. The worthy becomes degraded, our efforts diminished or discounted.  And we wonder. We cry. We regret. We try to redeem ourselves, to replace that which has been discarded and trashed. Can we actually undo what has been done? Maybe. Some. Not all. 

Look back, into the distant and not so distant past. What has given you the most satisfaction in life? That which seemingly just came to you, no merit, or that which you attained only via hard work and sacrifice. It is simple to understand. The piece of wood discarded, splintery, solitary, when joined with similar pieces, polished, revised, repurposed, becomes an article of beauty and use - and that is life. 

When we take on a complex jigsaw of many pieces and work hard at it, avoiding the pitfalls of the 'almost' but not really the correct piece, the result is a beautiful scene. Not a misshapen result which will never be right. Only with precision and efforts, avoiding the temptation to force a fit, can we look forward to a job well done and a beautiful, well-earned result.

Life is that jigsaw oh so difficult to fit together, smoothly, no 'off' results which demand retracking to correct. It is the piece of wood ugly and useless from which we create beauty. Hard work, at times intense, difficult to withstand, to persevere, is the way we must take if life is to end in the plus column for assets rather than the red of disaster and troubles.

Hard work, even intense work, does not always bring instantaneous results. In that case one can despair, wonder where it all went wrong. Patience is the answer. Hope is the answer. Somewhere along the line it pays off. Nor should one expect the payoff, so to speak, to be of monetary value. Many times, the reward is intrinsic, rather than extrinsic. It is a great feeling to see a positive, fruitful result from one's hard and substantial efforts to do the right thing. 

Personally, for me, at this stage in life, sliding down the other side of the mountain, bit scary at times- no, more than a bit - I do look back. Worth millions was the light on a child's face with a dawning understanding of a piece of literature or a difficult concept in grammar. It was a satisfaction when a formerly lackadaisical student morphs into an excellent one and a shy one begins to speak out and contribute. It is the growth of children at a difficult time of life, as they try to figure out exactly who they are and what they want to be, define the important values in life rather than the ephemeral. To know, to feel, to hope that I have made a positive contribution toward that child, those children, my educational kids, well, it is good. The recent remark of a parent of a former student was a great gift to me. Thank you. You know who you are. 

All of this, life, cannot be lived in solitary loneliness. Often difficult to find a place for oneself, it is a search well worth the effort. To work in tandem with others, to appreciate the positive synergy, to be a part of something is a great feeling, a good reward, no matter the size, big or small of one's contribution. 

And so once again we come back to the theme of togetherness, the ability of a unified group achieving more than a lone individual. Yes, one must be ready to speak up, to go against the crowd when it needs to be called out, but always, find another and another and another to walk with you, beside you, for it will strengthen you and your efforts.

We have seen those efforts pay off within our personal lives. The togetherness for Yitzy is heartwarming, given him and the family a lift, an encouragement. To know that one is not alone in a struggle, such a difficult, dreadful struggle, well, there are no words. 

The power of this togetherness has certainly helped Yitzy get on a positive and hopeful path towards a complete healing. With yet another grueling six months of chemo left before we will receive an answer, the one we hope and all of us, you, me, all together, pray for.

Please, keep it going.

Together. Together. Together.

We must act together, in concert, in harmony.

Together - Together we can achieve it all. 

Together we can

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

May he be granted a timely and complete healing.

May he always remain on the road of faith, healing and strength.

May we all walk on that same road.

May Hashem hear all our voices raised in prayer. 

Amen. Amen.