Pretty Brilliant Accessibility

Wow, that’s pretty brilliant. 

Stairs and ramp in one.

Love thinking of those with disabilities as part of what we do!  😉

(Source Photo: Facebook) 

Help The Handicapped

Seeing this wheelchair was a reminder to me to:

• Always try to help the handicapped. 

Life is tough on everybody, but when you have a disability, it can be even harder. 

It doesn’t take much to see or ask if there is anything you can do to help someone. 

Just the gesture alone can go a long way to making people feel valued, cared about, and that they are not alone out there. 

We all need help sometimes, so why not help others?  😉

(Credit Photo: Dossy Blumenthal)

Why I Cry At Circumcisions

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called “Why I Cry At Circumcisions.”

Circumcision reminds me of Abraham, our forefather, who was tested and told to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac, to G-d. It is truly counter-intuitive for a parent to hurt or sacrifice their child. Yet, this is exactly how G-d tested Abraham before the angel of G-d told him not to raise his hand to Isaac, and instead Abraham then offered to G-d a ram that was caught in the thicket. However, when it comes to circumcision, we are also tested and actually are commanded to surgically remove the male child’s foreskin and as the baby cries out, every parent, no matter how faithful and religiously devoted, winces and feels deeply inside for their child’s pain, even if it is only momentary and soothed by a sip of kosher Kedem Concord Grape wine.

The rite of the circumcision is an incredible transcendental religious experience, where our very faith is tested and we go against our own physical instincts to protect the child, no matter what, and instead we submit ourselves to G-d Almighty, the Master of the Universe to perform the circumcision, because He told us to. Whether there are medical benefits or not, G-d commands, and we obey. We are His people, and his thoughts and plans are infinitely greater than ours. At the circumcision, in an act of complete faith, we graciously give over our male children and ourselves—in body, mind, and soul to G-d. We renounce our desires, our gratification, our very instincts, and put ourselves in G-d’s merciful hands. In that moment of selfless giving, we fulfill our covenant of generations with G-d and we affirm our holiness as individuals and as a nation.

(Photo Credit: Avital Pinnick; https://www.flickr.com/photos/spindexr/4678468852/)

For My Beautiful Wife and Daughters

They are truly wonder women!  

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Anyone Missing A Leg?

That’s some museum exhibit!

Wonder if the owner of the leg is on the other side of that wall? 

What was this artist thinking?  

Hopefully just to sensitize us to people’s health, disabilities, and plights, so we can be more compassionate and caring people!  😉

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Peace In The Home, Always

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, “Peace In The Home, Always.”

If the husband and wife—with Hashem’s help as the third partner—create a peaceful, loving, caring, and harmonious home then they can have the likes of Shabbat all week long.

I realized why we say the blessing for the food before we eat and bless G-d for the land after we eat: before we eat, we don’t know how it will taste or whether it will sit well with us in our stomachs, but we imagine when we are hungry that all the good-looking food and drink will be great and so we bless G-d based on the perception of the coming food. However, after we eat, we make the blessing for the source of the food (the land, the food chain, and over wives for preparing it) for the sake of Shalom Bayit, because whether the meal was so good or not so good, we say thanks to Hashem and to our wives, because that contributes to Shabbat and peace in the home, always!

(Source Photo: Pixabay)

We Are All Disabled

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called “We Are All Disabled.”

And what happens to us after creation? Life happens, and people suffer from the happenstance and the often harsh “nurture” of this world. Whether from disease, accidents, or hurt inflicted on us from others — intentional or not — we all have “disabilities” and as difficult as it is to live with it, there is no shame in it!

Disabilities are an opportunity, however painful and humiliating for us to learn and grow and for others to be able to demonstrate love, compassion, and kindness to us…There is no running or hiding from disability, it is part of our mortal world. But from the scars and suffering of life, we must create healing. From disability, it is our job to turn it into ability, capability, and mobility!

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Remember To Always Be Kind

Nice sign on the electrical pole, reminding us to always:

Be 💗 Kind

What kind?

The kind that has compassion on others, cares and love them, and does what’s right. 

That’s really the only kind worth being! 😉

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Go Ahead and Waste My Time

Thought this was a funny magnet:

Feel Free to Waste My Valuable Time

When you go to help desk, customer service representative, your boss, a friend or even family member, and they give you that sigh or that look that you are immensely bothersome. 

If only people had more compassion and respect for others and more of a true customer service and servant-leader mentality. 

Otherwise all you get is that ol’ grumpy face and contemptuous attitude and you just want to crawl under a big heavy rock and never come out.  😉

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Appreciate Who You Have In Your Life

Thought this was a brilliant depiction of appreciating the invaluable people in our lives.

You don’t know what you have until you don’t have it anymore. 

Often, people become lazy in their relationships or they stop appreciating what/who they have–we end up taking them for granted, not paying them our loving attention or worse mistreating them.

But one day, those people won’t necessarily be there for us anymore. 

That’s when our eyes are opened to what we’ve done, but then it’s too late to go back and undo the mistakes we made. 

One good friend told me that marriage is not like Hollywood; it’s not all loving all the time:

“There are good days and bad, but it’s better to have 5 even really bad days a month with your partner than 30 bad days a month by yourself, alone.”

Don’t wait until it’s too late to love and care for your spouse, children, grandchildren, etc. 

Eventually, the clock runs out and regret won’t bring anyone back. 

(Source Photo: Millionaire Tutor via Facebook)