Listening to Life's Messages

When life feels dark... Don't fight  With the night Don't blame  Don't shame  Don't complain  Don't feel chained  Don't ask why  Don't justify  Don't cry  Don't sigh  Don't hide  Don't lose your pride  Don't obsess  Don't get depressed  Don't give up Don't close up  Don't stop  Don't drop Don't analyze  Don't philosophize  Don't escape  Don't run away  Don't contemplate  Don't start to hate  Dont criticize  Don't describe  Don't defend  Don't pretend  Don't think it's the end  Don't overspend  Don't accept  Don't object  Don't disconnect  Don't suspect Don't feel insecure  Don't just endure  Don't surrender  Don't fall under  Don't substitute  Don't change pursuits Don't be scared  Don't compare  Don't lose sight  Don't prove you're right...  Just shine your light W

The day feels way too short,    And there's endless work to do   Who has time to daven?  It's something we rush through   But the Chanukah story reminds us That if we want to truly succeed Hard work, talent, and time are extras  There's only one thing we really need  It's having HaShem on our side  By being fully attached to Him  Because once we are connected Above There's no doubt that we will win  We can create great miracles  When our souls are ignited  We can rise above the laws of nature  When with Him we are united  When we really take the time to connect  All our work is Divinely blessed All our efforts are amazingly fruitful  All our time is remarkably stretched  And the light of our morning prayers  Is what guides us throughout the day Reminding us why we're here Pushing the distractions away  Pulling together the scattered pieces Keeping us focused on our one mission  To make this world

Last week, someone forwarded an audio clip of a beautiful song, sung by a young girl Hindy, who was born very premature. She miraculously made it and is thank Gd completely healthy... Except,  that she can't see.  For some reason, her story really touched me and I just couldn't stop thinking about her.  I dropped what I was doing and sat listening to her song, over and over and over again.. until even my kids were singing along with me. And every time I listened, I found new layers of inspiration and personal meaning..  I had never met or personally known of anyone else who was completely blind before, so it was the first time that I really reflected on what that means..    My first impression was just wow! This girl is blind, yet she is so incredibly strong and positive! There is no trace of self-pity.  If she can find joy, how much more so can the rest of us! And she must have amazing parents because they truly succeeded in nurturing her inner faith and self

B"H I'm not proud to admit it, but this whole past week I've been in complaining mode. I told anyone that asked, that "I had such a hard week," and I told myself the same. I was feeling bad for myself because my kids were sent home from gan for runny noses, and I "had" to be home alone with them all day while my husband was away and I had hardly any other help. I was annoyed at basically everyone; at the gan's new strict policy, at the doctor who wouldn't give me permission to return even though they were fine, at my cleaning lady for getting sick at the same time, and at my kids for wanting me to entertain them the whole day. And two of the nights my toddler ended up really not feeling well and didn't sleep at all... so I was feeling completely exhausted and mostly in survival mode. This morning, I was still singing the same tune, telling my friend that even though I was able to send my son back to gan, it doesn't "