I like this quote from former Israel prime minister, Golda Meir:
Don’t be so humble; you’re not that great!
Nice way to pop someone’s oversized bubble of an ego and tell them to put a cork in it.
Or as my dad used to say:
He’s not a big shot; he’s a big sh*t!
Anyway, she had a sharp mind (like my dad) and was an amazing leader that Golda. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This was a saying that I really liked.
“G-d is greater than you problem”
– Problems may seem like the end.
But G-d is the root of all BEGINNINGS!
– Problems may be overwhelming.
But G-d is your HEAVENLY FATHER AND MOTHER!
– Problems may be big.
But G-d is INFINITE!
– Problems may be tough.
But G-d is ALL POWERFUL!
– Problems may be challenging.
But G-d has all the ANSWERS!
– Don’t let your problems get you down.
See the bigger picture.
Know you are not alone in the universe.
Have faith that everything is in G-d’s hands and will be alright. 😉
(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
Thought this was a good saying, and wanted to share it.
“A man grows with the greatness of his task.”
In Hebrew, there is a similar saying:
“Lefum Tzaara Agra.” (Which translates roughly too: “As the suffering, so to is the reward.”)
Adversity, hardships, challenges, pain, suffering–these all test our mettle.
Obviously, these are not fun, but in the end, we are forced to grow from these experiences.
– What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
Sometimes though, they really can kill us.
So, push yourself as far and as fast as you can, but also you better know your true limits.
And we all have them, even when we think we’re invincible. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Sing the most precious and beautiful song to the King of Kings.
Sing from the Earth.
Sing throughout all the Heavens.
Sing from the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars.
Sing with all your heart and soul to the Almighty G-d.
Sing the most precious and beautiful song to the King of Kings.
Sing from the People.
Sing throughout all the Angelic Host.
Sing from the Animals, the Fish, and the Fowl.
Sing with all your heart and soul to the Almighty G-d.
Sing the most precious and beautiful song to the King of Kings.
Sing from the Begining of Time.
Sing throughout the End of Time.
Sing in the Morning, the Noon, and the Night.
Sing with all your heart and soul to the Almighty G-d.
Sing the most precious and beautiful song to the King of Kings.
Sing from the Mountains.
Sing throughout the rolling Valleys.
Sing in the Forests, the Cities, and the Seas.
Sing with all your heart and soul to the Almighty G-d.
Sing the most precious and beautiful song to the King of Kings.
Sing from every Tree.
Sing throughout the sprawling blades of grass.
Sing from every drop of dew, pouring of rain, and howling of wind.
Sing with all your heart and soul to the Almighty G-d.
Sing the most precious and beautiful song to the King of Kings.
Sing from each Word.
Sing throughout all your Deeds.
Sing in the Thinking, the Doing, and the Speaking.
Sing with all your heart and soul to the Almighty G-d.
Sing the most precious and beautiful song to the King of Kings.
Sing from every beating Heartbeat.
Sing throughout all your Breaths.
Sing in your Comings, your Goings, and Wherever you are.
Sing with all your heart and soul to the Almighty G-d.
Sing the most precious and beautiful song to the King of Kings.
Sing with your Material wealth.
Sing throughout all your Spiritual awakenings.
Sing during your Journey, at your Milestones, and when you arrive at your Destination.
Sing with all your heart and soul to the Almighty G-d.
Sing the most precious and beautiful song to the King of Kings.
Sing from your successes.
Sing throughout all your failures.
Sing during your tryings, your learnings, and your growing.
Sing with all your heart and soul to the Almighty G-d.
(Note 1: Incredibly, this is my first song and it came to me early on the Shabbat where we read the portion of the Torah when G-d miraculously led the Israelites through the split sea and they sang the “Shirah” (song) of thanksgiving to G-d for saving and redeeming them from slavery to freedom, and I didn’t even know it was this Shabbat!)
(Note 2: I would love if someone can put this to music and make this into an amazing song to G-d.)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Loved this lady’s sweater of the American Flag.
So cool with the stars on the sleeve like that.
I thought this was especially nice for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
As we remember those that have sacrificed so much, and the many that have fallen making the ultimate sacrifice, so that all we could be free.
“In the olden days,” they used to say America was the “goldene medina”–the golden country–the land of opportunity!
But really, the gold itself is just fools gold, the real greatness of being here is the freedom to be who you are and to have the human rights and protections to pursue whatever your dreams are.
Maybe that’s what the stars on the flag are really all about–we can all reach for the stars–whatever stars we want–and many will actually be able to achieve the impossible. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I tool this picture of beautiful Bartholdi Fountain.
This statue and fountain sits between the U.S. Botanic Gardens, the American Veterans Disabled For Life Memorial, the Rayburn House Office Building, and the Department of Health and Human Services (in the background).
French sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who designed this amazing fountain, is the same artist who made the Statue of Liberty.
This 30 feet tall, 15-ton, cast-iron statue sits marvelously at the base of Capitol Hill.
Next to the American Flag, this stands out as another shining symbol of our democracy, liberty, and national strength.
If as a nation we can once again unify, emulating the 3 women figures who are together holding up the massive fountain bowl over their heads, we too can accomplish great feats for the American people and our nation. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May G-d bless the United States of America and our true friends and allies!
It doesn’t matter whether you are Republican or Democrat, Black or White, Jew or Christian, Male or Female–we need to unite and move this country forward and be great again!
Strength, Security, Health, Economy, Jobs, Education, Environment, Space, Jobs, Freedom, and Human Rights.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal via Fox News)
So Trump has gotten a lot of flack.
Some of it is deserved for saying the wrong things or saying them too harshly.
Some of it is because of the biased Media and the political machine that would seek to bury any opponent with truth or lies, it doesn’t really matter when it comes to power!
But with Trump, one question that people are asking–which is a fair one–is why doesn’t he soften it up now…especially since he has overcome all the odds, the media, the elite, and Hillary’s potent political machine?
Peggy Noonan asks today, why doesn’t Trump “go to a series of schools, bring the press, and speak to children, telling them that he has nothing in his heart but the desire to do good and help people”?
Others, like the editorial board of the New York Times have called for Trump to “denounce the hate…[and] unequivocally repudiate…racist, sexist, xenophobic, Anti-Semitic, and homophobic insults, threats, and attacks.”
While in my mind, I do not believe that Trump is those things–I think he has been misunderstood, mischaracterized, taken out of context, and even demonized; yet, I ask myself why doesn’t he come out and simply build on his 60-minutes interview where he told people, “Don’t be afraid. We are going to bring America back. But certainly, don’t be afraid.”
It’s a simple thing to go further from this and tell people that he is understanding and compassionate to everyone, that he harbors no ill will to anyone, and that he wants to advance the country for all our benefits.
So I am sure, the haters on the left are saying, that Trump doesn’t do this because obviously he really is all those bad things, and means bad by all those people, and therefore, he doesn’t say those coexistence and loving things, because that’s not what’s in his heart!
But I am not convinced.
I think Trump is hard, because he has learned to be hard. That’s his idea of what it takes to win. He is a fighter. He believes in winning. He doesn’t apologize or grovel. He represents as his slogan, “Peace through strength!”
In fighting, Trump will do what it takes to “Make America Great Again,”–he will take down his enemies and ours, wherever they come at us from, but I believe always with an eye on the benefits to this country and for us.
If he goes after good people (and those here legally) that would certainly be the time to call him out, and to do it in no uncertain terms.
Bias, bigotry, and hate have NO place in this country (or the world)!
The left needs to stop denouncing Trump and all his supporters as racist, deplorables, irredeemables, etc. It is simply not true; it is biased and hateful itself, and counterproductive to moving this country forward.
Crying wolf only dilutes the message of denouncing extremism, bigoty, and hate from when it is genuinely founded, and moreover, as in labeling theory, hate only begets hate.
I say give Trump a genuine chance, even though I doubt many of the extremists on the left will give him anything near as much as the endless slack it gave Obama who could essentially do no wrong, ever (and regardless of how many things were falling apart in this country and around the globe).
Still I agree that Trump should soften up–even as a fighter–he needs to show Ying and Yang and that the fight is ultimately one founded in integrity and not just winning. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
INDISPENSABLE?
Sometime, when you’re feeling important,
Sometime, when your ego’s in bloom,
Sometime, when you take it for granted,
You’re the best qualified in the room.
Sometime when you feel that your going,
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow these simple instructions,
And see how it humbles your soul.
Take a bucket and fill it with water.
Put your hand in it, up to the wrist;
Pull it out; and the hole that’s remaining,
Is a measure of how you’ll be missed.
You may splash all you please when you enter,
You can stir up the water galore,
But stop, and you’ll find in a minute,
That it looks quite the same as before.
The moral in this quaint example,
Is just do the best that you can,
Be proud of yourself, but remember,
There’s no indispensable man.
– Saxon White Kessinger
(Thank you to my daughter, Minna Blumenthal, for sharing this)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Today, a disabled man asked the lifeguard at the pool, “How are you doing?”
The lifeguard couldn’t understand or fully hear the disabled man who had to repeat the question multiple times.
Then, the lifeguard responded, “I am doing well. How are you doing?”
The disabled man with a blank to sad look on his face says, “I am doing.”
His response of just “doing” (not well, good, or fine) was like just going on day-to-day amidst very challenging life circumstances of illness and disability–just in a state of being, but certainly not feeling like he was thriving in his current life.
It reminded me of my own parents, survivors of the Holocaust.
After the horror and loss of the Holocaust everything, including coming to this country without a dime or a job was just a cakewalk in comparison.
For 25-years, my dad would never even go to the doctor.
He would say, “G-d is my doctor!”
Only later in life, when all his friends were sick or failing, and my mom was so sick with Parkinson’s would my dad respond to people’s questions of how he was, by saying simply, “Surviving!”
And then often adding, “We are part of the survivors’ club.”
When we’re young, healthy, and vibrant, the world seems too small compared to what we think we can do and accomplish.
That’s good–it gives us the thrusters in life to go as far as we can with accomplishments and progress.
As we age though, the realities of life and health come into vision and we realize that we can’t lift cars with one hand (anymore) or fly lightening speed with just our cape around the globe–we’re mortal.
This doesn’t mean that we can’t do great things for ourselves and the world at any age and with any (dis)ability, just that it many not be as simple or as easy any longer–we have to fight harder and be part of the survivor’s club. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)