Practicality and common sense were just not factors I considered. I would rush into the unknown with fierce abandonment, all the while trusting that Hashem had my back and everything would work out well.
A Course in Miracles tells us…. “If you knew who walked beside you at all times, on the path that you have chosen, you could never experience fear or doubt again.”
A couple of weeks ago, my teenage daughter came into my bedroom. She was sobbing. She had just started watching the animated movie “UP” and with tears streaming down her face; she came to lie with me. “Mom, I never remember it being so sad when I saw it years ago.”
We watched it together and I cried like a baby. I have included the 3 minutes YouTube clip and I encourage you to watch it. It has a special very relevant message.
In it, you will see how this married couple kept putting away pennies to be able to afford their childhood dream. They wanted to visit “Paradise Falls”. But unexpected bills and life always caused them to dig into their savings and by the time they were ready to take that trip, there was no sand left in the hourglass.
They reminded me of my parents. My dad worked until the end. At the age of 78, the Hospice staff had to create a desk for him because he NEEDED to work and he refused to lie in the bed. On his last day, he poured over the fake ledgers and journals they put in front of him.
He was raised in the small town of Hendrina and attended a boarding school, where he was one of only 2 Jews. He was a simple man, and his siddur was the most valuable possession he owned. I always remember him with his yarmulke laying tefillin.
I was his Captain but he never really understood my risky adventurous approach to life. He thought I was mad. How could I just pack up a suitcase and head to Los Angeles knowing no one, with only $2000? My question to him was “How can I not?”
Granted the first time he left South Africa he was 70. Many arguments and canceled flights preceded this trip. He was always concerned with saving money. “Every penny goes into the kitty for my girls”, he would say, and “Every penny counts”.
Despite his reluctance to travel, I have yet to see any child enjoy Disneyland as much as my 70-year-old father. He was all smiles on the carousel and made me take him on IT’S A SMALL WORLD seven times. He felt like this ride allowed him to see all the countries he had missed.
My mom was also always concerned about money. Her parents met at the Arcadia orphanage and she lost her dad, at 12. The family had very little, and she used to have to line her shoes with cardboard when the rubber soles had holes. Sometimes they didn’t have money for the gas meter and she only saw the ocean for the first time when she was 21.
I was lucky enough to marry a man very similar to me. No material possessions could make us rich. It was the people and adventures that really counted. The people we could include for Yomtovs and Shabbos were the true riches. Their special friendships helped us create memories and allowed us to share our traditions and Yiddishkeit with Jade. I never doubted that Hashem would provide.
I guess it probably the cause of their safe and secure approach to life, that I ended up the polar opposite. It drove them crazy when I quit accounting to become a chef but I refused to conform. I know they both had dreams of their own, but they kept putting them off for another day. They played it safe. But how noble is it to die with your music in you? I know that fear of the unknown prevented them from wandering off in the direction of their dreams.
They had incredible symphonies that I wish they would have had the chance to play. The kind that requires a 60 man orchestra. Just like Plato, Aristotle, Keats, Mandela, The Rebbe, or Einstien they were children of the Creator. Their song was unique and beautiful and I am just sad that I was never able to hear it.
I love this quote from Michelangelo …. “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark”.
So I want the stories of my parents and the couple in “UP” to encourage you to find your unique tune, your burning passion, your inner fire. And I want you to embrace it and sing, sing, sing, sing, sing. Lalalalalala…..Open your heart and let your music play. Let the notes pour out of your soul.
And all the while trust and know that G-d is in the wings applauding you. And the creator knows only abundance. There is no shortage to the blessings He will bestow upon you. You only need to trust in Him and let Him carry you. It’s time to embrace new adventures and jump off cliffs into the great unknown. And always know Hashem will be there to catch you.
Dance, sing, and make glorious music. I love you all so much
+ show Comments
- Hide Comments
add a comment