Some say that G-d

Some say that G-d does not
Test us unless we have the strength
To handle it.
Perhaps, but in the sense that obstacles
Force us to be stronger,
To find or create new strength.
Some say we cannot know the reason for
Life’s pain and heart-wrenching sorrow.
This I believe, but still I cry out:
Wrongs are wrongs, no matter the reason, no matter
Their creator, or lack of one.
My whole spirit hurts.

And no one has died.
Except a part of my soul,
Which struggles to breathe.
Nowhere to turn,
The future unclear.
Innocence should not be
Mistaken
For what it is not.
Kindness need not have
Ulterior motives.
Pure love has no bounds,
No limits,
No conditions
But that it be respected,
Not trampled
Or shunned.

And of family, G-d, I ask you:
Where were You when I cried out
For You to heal the past,
Protect my soul,
Heal my family,
Heal those in pain,
Show Yourself?

Did you listen?

There was only silence.



I know the world is in my hands,
And in those of mortal spirits.
Your absence I still don’t understand,
Though perhaps, as a great man once said,
G-d doesn’t always shout, sometimes He whispers...

Random Text Messages from Jesus and Such

So, yesterday I received a text message from Jesus (excuse me, 'about' Jesus), asking me if I knew that he died on the cross for me. And now that I know, telling me that I should share it with some friends and take responsibility for all that He did for me. Ok, weird... And today, some random cell phone spam, but not just any spam, a personalized voice mail, informing me that I'm approved for some credit program or such. Now there are many things I would like to say in response, but I'll just keep it to one little bitty question: HOW IN THE HECK DID THESE PEOPLE GET MY CELL PHONE NUMBER???? Oh, I forgot...Jesus knows everything, and I'm sure he'd take credit :P

**disclaimer: no offense intended**
**second disclaimer: I had no prior knowledge that Jesus had a cell phone and a cell phone brigade**
**third disclaimer: I wonder what Jesus's number would be: hmm, maybe 1-800-JCR-OCKS**
**fourth disclaimer: seriously, no offense, just be cool...like Jesus on his cell, ha, sorry :) **

Nothing But the Truth

If I could give one piece of advice to the world, I would have to borrow the words of Rabbi Akiva: "Veahavta lireacha kamocha". Basically, "love your neighbor as yourself". This sounds simple enough, but is it? In practice, I've found that some of the kindest people don't follow this when it matters. If you shut a very close friend completely out of your life, if you ignore them when they have no one else to turn to, if you refuse to consider their own situation and put yourself in their shoes and show mercy, then you are not living up to these words. No matter how wonderful you may think you are (or how wonderful I may think you are), this means nothing if you don't open your heart to others when it matters. Good friendship is not something you just throw away, and people's feelings and worth should matter more than a hurt ego. Yes, friends can screw up and we all know it, but they can also turn their lives around and come back stronger. So all I can say is when it comes down to it, the people who really care about us will still be standing with us when everything falls down. Even if we push them away, they'll come back. And if we don't have any friends like this, perhaps we should reconsider who our real friends are.

You Can Change the World

One person can change the world for the better. Actually, one person does change the world in this way, quite regularly, in fact :) I believe when people think of change, they usually think of big changes, massive sweeping change that shoots through the heart of society and leaves it reeling from the sudden impact. The truth is, change like this does occur, but not as Hollywood-esque fairy tales would have you believe. Change, real change, takes time and is not the product of one brave or revolutionary action alone, but of many small actions that build up enough power to bring about a major change. After all, the African American Civil Rights movement, for example, was not something that happened in a day, but rather drew its power from the fact that it evolved and strengthened over more than a decade.

But I'm not just talking about major societal change here. What's just as important is the change that we bring about in our own lives and in those of people we know, even just those we come across in our daily reality. Ok, say you're walking down the street and you see someone who looks like they could use a hug. You smile at them and say hi (like you mean it) and try to be as cheerful as possible. [note: if you don't know them, it might be best not to actually *hug* them, even if they request a hug, as I did this once and it didn't exactly work out as planned. So please use discretion and learn from my mistakes :] But I digress. The thing is, one nice gesture, even just one kind word could put that person in a better mood. And people in better moods are happier people, kinder people, more likely to do good for others. And once you start a chain reaction of good, this is how you can bring about major change. You never know whose day you might turn around, just by being nice, and as good tends to beget more good, that one day will end with a lot more happiness in the world. So don't tell me that one person can't change the world. You can and you will, every time you choose to put a little more good into it. Starting now :)

A Dolphin's Tale

I fly
Above
The gentle waters,
Free...
My heart,
Filled with today,
Worries not about
New suns.

If storms should come and
Sail away, still
Life remains,
A living sea.
Churning waters,
Darkened sky,
But underneath,
Beneath the surface,
Trouble stops.

And deep deep down,
Inside the ocean,
Beyond the mind,
Lie hope and love,
An endless sea.
This
Is my home.
This
Is my freedom.
This
Is my truth.
Welcome...

A little ant

A little ant
Knows not of love,
Knows not of pain,
Knows not of hate,
He knows only that life goes on
That sun feels good,
That food is life.

Not only that, but constant motion,
A kind of pure "to life" devotion,
Is the best use of his time.
To bring a scrap back to his queen,
To carry a torn friend back home,
To scour paths yet unexplored
And show the way to those who come,
To be forever on the run,
This is what is meant by having fun.

An ant knows not of laziness,
He knows no bounds of strength or fear,
He cannot see as far ahead as where
Fear lies, shamefulness, or dread.
To live means to be a working man,
To see the world, to feel the land,
To never stop believing that
It is the moment that makes the man.

Positive Interpretations and Happy Realities

I read somewhere that 90% of your reality is based on your interpretation of it. So at any time, if you change how you look at a situation, you can thus change your own reality!
And if you change your interpretations of certain actions or motives, choosing to view them in a more positive light, you can change your views of people as well and expand your own perspectives. We are only aware of what we perceive, and often what we perceive is what we want to perceive. If we open our minds and hearts and look at things in a positive way, we might perceive far more...and far better realities. Erev tov!