So this week, I managed to check off 1 item from my bucket list.
I replaced an almost 16-year old 4Runner with a new car that I had been eyeing for some time.
I never thought I would actually get the new car, but I am so very grateful to Hashem!
My father used to say:
It’s just something to get you from here to there!
And he was right, but it was still nice to replace the old clunker. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Now those are some party balloons!
Really, they are part of an exhibit from the Hirshhorn Museum.
But boy do they make a statement.
Big, pink, and with polka dots.
They are the king of the party. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Went to the Holy city of the Kabbalists today, Sefad.
Saw the beautiful 15th century Abuhav Synagogue, the Candle Factory, the artist colony, and the of course, the holy graves of the Tzadikim to pray.
It was a marvelously spiritually uplifting experience (as well as being up high in the mountains) and is an overall beautiful and unique city of ancient winding alleys and treasures at every turn.
So grateful to have had this opportunity to visit there, thank you Hashem! 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So I hurt my back last week.
Incredibly painful.
Difficult getting up from sitting or laying position.
Today, I was trying to walk it off a little.
One of my kids was walking with me taking good care of me.
We ran into a neighbor.
She was nice and asked about what happened.
I told her in brief and said how grateful I was for my daughter taking me for a little walk while I try to heal with G-d’s help.
She smiled and said how lucky I was (which I acknowledged).
I asked if she had any kids, thinking that she did.
But she goes to me:
I have no one!
I was a little surprised that she didn’t have anyone and how she said it.
I sort of repeated it quizzically.
She goes:
Well I did have a cat but she was 19 years old and I had to put her down.
I felt really bad for her, especially since I know she had an operation this last year and is planned for another one coming up.
I said that we’re her neighbors and friends and that she can call on us whenever she needs someone.
This whole thing just made me so upset–no one should be so alone.
I really pray that G-d has mercy on his children and that no one should be alone and that we should all have caring and loving people around us always. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Coming into the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) tonight.
Lets everyone stay positive folks–we all have so much to be grateful for and please G-d to look forward to!
Positive is greater than negative (as the shirt says). LOL
Shana Tova!
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
In lovely Florida.
Hit the swimming pool.
About to do my laps.
I got my gear and ready to rock and roll.
Please G-d, we’ll spend the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (commemorating when we got the Torah) together here as a family.
What more can I ask.
Happy and grateful. 😉
(Source Photo: Dossy Blumenthal)
So this past Shabbat, there was a wonderful guest speaker at Aish, Rav Gav(riel) Friedman.
He was a very lively speaker and with a lot of worthy teachings for his lucky audience.
One thing he said that really stuck with me is about people that complain.
People have hard lives!
As he said, “I don’t know what each of you has been through.”
But one thing that can help us cope with our challenges is our perspective.
And then he said the following:
We need to be glad that we have something to complain about!
Huh, what does that mean?
Well, think about it…
– If you complain about your spouse, thank G-d that you are married (and have a life partner) to complain about.
– If you complain about your job, thank G-d that you have a job (and income) that you can complain about.
– If you complain about your food, thank G-d that you have food to eat (and sustenance for your body) to complain about.
And so on and so forth.
Whatever we complain about, think about what you actually have (the big picture) and what you are complaining about (usually the little picture).
Really, we have so much to be grateful for that we can easily just forget or take for granted.
So next time your complaining, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE that you are complaining about–you might stop yourself from complaining. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So a colleague told me about an awful experience at work.
They came into the office and had a big surprise.
I won’t ask you to guess what it was.
I’ll start off by giving you a hint.
It came from a mouse.
Yep, they actually had what they called, “mouse poop” on their desk.
Have to laugh even at the term…
But this is not what you want to have to deal with first thing in the morning, or anytime for that matter.
What can you do though?
We share the world with other living creatures and if they want to poop on your desk–what are you really gonna do about it?
I suggested setting some traps, but they said they want to see if it happens again.
That’s two too many times for me.
Now though I learned to be grateful if my desk is poop-free. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So we arrived in Israel for our daughter’s wedding.
It was amazing to me to see how the Holy Land has so developed from when I was here last over 25-years ago.
It is a thriving nation in every sense of the word.
Just as G-d has promised, the land and it’s people have blossomed under His blessings.
I am grateful to G-d for helping me to reach this wonderful and happy time.
Tonight, we had a wonderful dinner with the in-laws and there was a henna ceremony as well–for good luck (Mazel Tov)!
Little did I know, I thought this bowl of henna was chocolate fudge and part of dessert–good thing that I didn’t take a staining bite out of that.
How would that have looked in the wedding pictures? 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Today, Jerusalem has been recognized as the capital of Israel–Mazel tov!
– 70 years after President Truman instructed the State Department to support the U.N. partition plan.
– 50 years since the Six Day War in which Jerusalem was reunified.
– 22 years after the Jerusalem Embassy Act was passed for relocating the U.S. Embassy to the capital, Jerusalem.
Everyone has been patient and waited a long time for this.
As President Trump stated, we are recognizing the reality, the obvious, and “it is the right thing to do!”
Yes, Israel is a sovereign nation with the right to determine their own capital as every nation does.
And Jerusalem is that capital today as it has been historically from the times of the Bible.
We are blessed to be witnessing in our time the miraculous fulfillment of G-d’s promise for the quintessential return of the Israelites to the Promised Land, and toward the ultimate redemption.
From the ashes of the Holocaust, G-d has resurrected and brought us alive again.
Many that I have spoken with today express genuine fear about the ramifications of this announcement of recognition.
But as President Trump displayed today, we must all go forward together courageously and in celebration.
The State of Israel is blooming from its agricultural fields to the incredible medical and technological innovations that are helping people throughout the world.
We must never forget that it is only with G-d’s blessing and under his watchful eye.
May we all pray for peace and security, and let their not be war or terrorism anymore! 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal via White House)
andyblumenthal 