Love coming to Florida.
Not a far flight.
Sun shines bright.
Water is blue.
Birds, fish, and animals like a zoo.
Nature is peaceful.
Shopping is plentiful.
Activities day and night.
Swimming makes me feel right.
Go to the beach.
Eat a peach.
Florida is the place to be.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
There is something about stained glass which is so beautiful and amazing.
It’s not only artistic and colorful, but also it’s a magical combination of opaqueness and translucence.
It provides cover and privacy from the outside world, yet it plays with the light that comes in through it to give a wonderful effect to any room.
If I could, I would make every room in every building with stained glass.
I would bask in the light and the color.
It would feel warm and holy–the light of G-d on me.
It’s as if G-d and His holy host are streaming in from the Heavens, and surrounding me all about.
I feel lifted up in space and time stops, all is safe and wonderful in the world.
Beautiful and holy spiritual energy celebrating, dancing, and singing all around me. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This was a beautiful song that we learned this week in Ulpan.
I love it–being Jewish and the song! 😉
Just thought this was really beautiful.
The yellow butterflies with the background of the blue from the sky and ocean, and the white of the soft clouds.
Feeling like this makes my heart sing.
Sort of like love.
It’s simple, but so clear.
We’re free and flying alone, but together.
We’re one with the universe and also with each other.
Butterfly, butterfly into the wild blue yonders.
No worries, just soaring, at peace, happy, and oh so free. 😉
(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)
Cancer is such an awful killer disease.
After heart disease, it is the #2 cause of death in the United States taking almost 592,000 lives a year or 22.5% of all deaths!
Usually, we don’t even like to say the word and even tempt fate.
Instead we just refer to it as the horrible “C word.”
Today my daughter forwarded to me this poem written by a teenager with terminal cancer, and I thought this was worth sharing with you all…
SLOW DANCE
Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.
Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask, “How are you?”
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,
with the next hundred chores running through your head?
You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short
The music won’t last.
Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,’Hi’
You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last..
When you run so fast to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift….
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
“On her way to work one morning
Down the path alongside the lake
A tender-hearted woman saw a poor half-frozen snake
His pretty colored skin had been all frosted with the dew
“Oh well,” she cried, “I’ll take you in and I’ll take care of you”
“Take me in oh tender woman
Take me in, for heaven’s sake
Take me in oh tender woman,” sighed the snake
She wrapped him up all cozy in a curvature of silk
And then laid him by the fireside with some honey and some milk
Now she hurried home from work that night as soon as she arrived
She found that pretty snake she’d taken in had been revived
“Take me in, oh tender woman
Take me in, for heaven’s sake
Take me in oh tender woman,” sighed the snake
Now she clutched him to her bosom, “You’re so beautiful,” she cried
“But if I hadn’t brought you in by now you might have died”
Now she stroked his pretty skin and then she kissed and held him tight
But instead of saying thanks, that snake gave her a vicious bite
“Take me in, oh tender woman
Take me in, for heaven’s sake
Take me in oh tender woman,” sighed the snake
“I saved you,” cried that woman
“And you’ve bit me even, why?
You know your bite is poisonous and now I’m going to die”
“Oh shut up, silly woman,” said the reptile with a grin
“You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in
“Take me in, oh tender woman
Take me in, for heaven’s sake
Take me in oh tender woman,” sighed the snake”
(Source Lyrics The Vicious Snake by Oscar Brown Jr. and the Reading By Donald Trump)
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)
So the Rabbi’s wife told us a neat idea about dreams (which was very poetic in Hebrew).
Basically it goes like this:
“If you have a good dream then your day is good, because you remember that good dream
And even if you have a bad dream then your day is still good, because you are no longer dreaming.”
It’s nice when you can come out a winner and have a good day no matter what happens in your dreams at night. 😉
(Source Photo: here with attribution to Nesster)
I’m a Jew, you’re a Jew, we’re all (pretty) good Jews, and we’re proud! 😉
andyblumenthal