Good afternoon, Chaverim/Chaverot,
It’s been a few weeks since I have been able to share my “gratitude thoughts” and I am glad, and grateful, to be able to do so today and especially glad to be able to share this short, sweet, yet profound, little quote with you.
Here is today’s Gratitude Thought in the Midst of a Pandemic:
“In times of deep darkness, we not only need light—
Parker J. Palmer
we need to be the light for one another.”
Despite the fact that the days are getting longer and the sun is out there for more than 12 hours each day at this time of year, it continues to be, metaphorically at least, pretty “dark” out there…
In our Mussar group last night we were speaking about the middah of “Bitachon”, translated in this context as “Trust in G-d”. Assuming we even have a personal belief that G-d exists, the challenge of practicing this Middah is to find the balance on the continuum somewhere between total trust at one end, leading us to sit back and wait for G-d to act in our lives (to “provide”, if you will), to complete ego-filled arrogance on the other end, leading us to believe that we are fully “in control” and all the good that happens in our lives is entirely of our own making. As the days of manna appearing each morning to feed us in the dessert are long gone, I find myself believing that WE need to act for G-d in our world…all of us, together, as often and in as many ways as we can.
So, in this darkness…this darkness that feels as if it is spreading and deepening every day…let us act/endeavor to listen, really listen, to one another; to stand up and defend one another; to show up and support one another; to be kind to one another; to honor one another (especially those who may be different from, or who may challenge us); to give one another the “benefit of the doubt”; to look beyond the superficial and see the good in one another; to be generous with one another; to be thankful and grateful for one another…to “be the light for one another”.
Shabbat Shalom to all,
Marci
