it pays

Today was one of the longest days I’ve had in a while. First things first, I had a date this morning with my sister, and as it happened, it got canceled. Very sad. We had planned to do our posting together this morning, and celebrate old times. Although she couldn’t make it, nonetheless I still had to get it done. So I did, and then I began work. Work includes QA testing for a nationwide product that must be completed before this Sunday, research on options reducing business expenses, corresponding with programmers, companies, potential employees, and naturally, FedEx, among other things. I had my own personal tasks to attend to aside from my work, and so things were busy as you can imagine.

Between breakfast and lunch I worked, hard. I also did my Esperanto lessons for the day, and surprise surprise! I am now finished with my first course – that’s ten lessons including vocabulary, grammar, and reading tests. I am very glad to have the basics down now, and very excited to start the second course.

Between lunch and dinner I meant to walk to Dilworth coffee shop with my sister, but as we were about to leave it began to rain. Just our luck. So we stayed home and made me a frappuccino and some amazing pumpkin oat bars, and played speed scrabble. It was so much fun. Afterwards I finished up my work (or at least as much as possible) and cleaned up my workspace. While i was at it, I took some time to spiff up the corner of the office which, for about a year or two now, has been a heaping mess of cables, CDs, video cards, paperwork, coupons, screws and twist ties, and garbage. It was overwhelming and gross. However, after an hour of hard and dusty work, I managed to fill two new cd cases, a jar of screws, a box of twist ties, and a file folder for the papers. It was well worth it. The entire workspace looks incredible, and so clean. The end result was double pay this week which was very encouraging.
The main point is that it pays to do the extra work. Go the extra mile, do that hard task you’ve been putting off for weeks, and make it worth it. Don’t do a poor job of it, do the best you can!

M.fs

fight

How many times do I
Have to be wrong,
Before I get it right?
How many times do we
Tell the world,
Before they start to fight?

Chorus: We fight.
We fight for what
We know is right.
We fight.
We fight our lives
Through day and night.
We fight.
We fight for what
We know is right.
We fight.

So many ways
But nobody will start,
What am I missing now?
Don’t you just stand
There, start to move,
And come before the crowd.

Chorus.

Bridge: We stand, here together.
We stand, strong and tall.
We stand, here hand in hand,
We stand here one and all.
We take a stand,
And some are shy,
To call out to the crowd.
But I’m not afraid,
To speak the truth,
And I will say it loud:

Chorus.

Some do not see
Some will not see
The damage that was done.
But I can hear
The battle cry
Of the war that must be won.

We can win…
Oh, ‘cause G-d is on our side.
We can win…
If only we start to fight…

Chorus.

M.fs (this post dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness)

go make a difference

Sitting here at dilworth in Matthews, and watched a woman hold traffic while a handicapped person made the turn into the shopping center. How cool is that?! I have to say I am very impressed with how she handled the situation. I am ashamed to think that if i were put in the same situation I would most likely have done nothing. Traffic laws are made for just such a time as this. Why make a move? Because we care. We care for those who have a hard time getting through life.

It surprises me that this is the second, maybe more, post that i have done so far that has involved handicapped people. I think that the disabled have a place in my heart. It is touching to me whenever something – such as the woman I just witnessed – happens. So wonderful. My only question is, “why haven’t more people taken notice? Why is the first time I’ve seen someone take such care of the handicapped?”

I believe that we can all be making a difference. How? There are millions of organizations and charities that help the causes that we rare all secretly aware of, yet publicly ignoring. Please think about helping out the people who are so often discouraged and usually mistreated. Google it people! There’s so much we can be doing!!

M.fs

honor and hope

I am sitting in a hospital, or at least I think so. It’s a medical center of some sort. My sister is here to see a neurologist, and of course, everything takes paperwork, so my mom went in with her to sign something and whatnot. I am in the waiting room – once quiet and empty aside from myself, and now full of middle-aged couples, impatient children, and silently still senior citizens. As I survey my surroundings, I’m happy that there is no preference or priority of age, race, or sex. Everyone is helped here. Everyone is treated the same way. In steady succession I watch those who arrived first walk through the door, followed in a few minutes by the next person.

It is, however, a little unnerving that all those I have seen enter, have not come out, and those who come out are nurses and doctors in blue and pink scrubs, or long white doctors’ jackets. It reminds me of a movie, I think, where it’s easy to get in, but will they ever come out? Haha, yes of course. After a long time, maybe an hour or two, my sister waves through the glass partition for me to come through. I hurriedly get up and shuffle through the ever-growing mass of people taking up almost all the seats in the once empty waiting room.

“How was it?” I ask.
“No brain tumors.” she responds nonchalantly.
“Great!” I say, smiling.
Standing in the hallway, we see a dear old lady with a walker coming through the door at the end of the hall.
“Where’s the elevator?” she asks. She is a bright red pant suit with a black belt, and although, slightly hunched at the shoulders and weathered from age and stress, she seems independent and “crusty” (and not in the corpse-like Clint Eastwood way, but the “I’ve-been-at-this-for-a-long-time-don’t-mess-with-me-sweetie” way… make sense?). My sister immediately ran to help her through the door and then turns to push the button on the elevator door.
“Right here,” she says smiling at the elderly woman.
“Where’s the bathroom?”
I point, “It’s just in there, past the woman in the pink shirt in the far corner.” and open the door.
“Thanks dear.” she says appreciatively, “you girls are so nice.” glancing at my sister.

It melted my heart. Does she not get this simple service daily? How is that possible… tell me the public is not so oblivious to the fact that those using walkers and wheelchairs can’t open heavy doors or navigate as well as those of us who are blessed with the ability to walk on our own! It gave me a sweetly-sorrowful feeling: I felt so good and needed to be able to help her with the simple task of opening the door, and my sister to easily hold the door and grab the elevator for her. Yet my heart sank at the thought that just that would mean so much to her. Why can’t more people help them out?

The bible speaks of old age as “splendor” [Proverbs 20:29], gray hair as a “crown of glory”, and we are to honor these [Leviticus 19:32].

“Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding.” [Job 12:12]

So please, respect the elderly, honor them by helping and revering them. They are beloved of G-d.

M.fs

calling heaven

What I realized a while ago, but just recently hit me, is this: Every morning I wake up and the first words out of my mouth are:

I gratefully thank you, O living and eternal Kind, for restoring my soul within me with compassion. Abundant is your faithfulness!

But have I realized just how important this prayer is? Not until today. I am so grateful to be alive today. The magnitude of G-d is inconceivable. He can do anything (to put it in layman’s terms)! Should He wish that I die, He can do it, but no, this morning, and every morning prior to this, every day of my life before today, I woke up. He woke me in the morning with His merciful kindness. I thank G-d every day for this but the idea of it really struck me today as it hasn’t before. Thank you O L-rd for giving me life!

Another prayer that I say regularly is the bedtime sh’ma. It’s pretty long, but the first part of it I have memorized, and here it is:

Master of the universe, I hereby forgive anyone who angered or antagonized against me, or who sinned against me, whether against my body, my property, my honor, or against anything of mine; whether he did so accidentally, willfully, carelessly, or purposely; whether through speech, deed, thought, or notion; whether in this transmigration or another transmigration, I forgive every Jew. May no man be punished because of me. May it be your will, O L-rd my G-d and G-d of my forefathers, that I may sin no more. Whatever sins I have done before you, may you blot out in your abundant mercy, but not through suffering or bad illnesses. May the expressions of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before you, O L-rd my rock and my redeemer.

Isn’t that beautiful? I love it. Every night, going to sleep knowing that all is well, is very comforting. It goes on about sleep and slumber, etc. (hence the title of the prayer) but this is my favorite part. It reminds me of the passage in scripture that reminds us not to let the sun go down on our anger. That means don’t go to sleep angry at someone. I’ve done this many times, but ever since I started saying the bedtime sh’ma, when I say the words “I hereby forgive anyone who angered or antagonized against me, or who sinned against me…” the person who made me mad, or who angered me that day, immediately flashes into my mind. I forgive them. It’s soothing in a way, knowing that I don’t have a grudge against anyone, with the constant reminder that in saying those words, I can’t bring up that problem or situation again, since I’ve completely forgiven them. What’s in the past stays there.

I encourage you all to do this, or some version of this, as it is the month of Elul - right your wrongs, and ask forgiveness of those you sinned against in any way, whether in knowledge or unknowingly. Take the time to make decisions for the coming year, etc.

Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and power and the glory forever, amen.

M.fs