On Saying Grace

Posted in Religious Musings, Thoughts by

I’m on vacation!!! So, while I’m away, I’m going to be posting some things that I wrote in the past. This one isn’t from me, but from the patriarch of our family who recently passed away. He shared this with us a few years ago and I wanted to share it again.

Shalom Mishpochah…

When I was working with the Immigration Service, I was often amazed to hear the reasons and excuses presented by applicants on why they should be naturalized as citizens of this great country. I would say that maybe 90% had no idea that this nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. In my office, I had a painting of Normal Rockwell showing a woman and her son in a restaurant praying – Saying Grace, and occasionally, I would glance up as if to remind them to look and ask a question or two, but like I said many did not.

I, too have gotten in the habit of Saying Grace before I eat a meal, regardless if it is at home, on the road or in a restaurant. I have checked and could not find anywhere in the Bible where I am instructed to pray before I eat.  However, in Deut. 8:10, we read that we are to eat and then pray –“and you shall eat, be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God.” 

Nowhere do we find an instruction to bless the Lord before we are satisfied, let alone before the first bite.  Yet that is exactly what so many of us quite appropriately do.

You see, the Bible never asks us to do the easy and the natural. In fact the Bible made the western civilization possible by introducing this revolutionary idea.  It is not only possible, but vital to overcome nature, particularly our own. 

When we potty train a toddler we make important progress in the quest to teach a young human that doing what is right is better than doing what comes naturally.  When a young person makes the holy commitment to remain chaste until marriage, he or she is doing what is right rather than what is natural.  When a man shows up for work every single day – on time—he is doing what is right rather than what is natural.  Soon after we are born, our parents direct us toward doing what is right.  For the rest of our lives, our goal should be to elevate ourselves above the natural.

Since hunger induces spiritual awareness, most sensitive humans feel the need to say a blessing before satisfying hunger.  Thus, we can be counted on to do so without instruction.  This, is in fact what both Christian and Jews do.  But it is unnatural for the satiated diner with bulging belly to pause prior to staggering away from the table, in order to express profound gratitude to the Creator.  That is precisely why God demands it of us, through His words in Deuteronomy.  It may not be the easiest thing, but we should strive to be good rather than to be natural, and to teach our children to make the same analyses. 

Shabbath Shalom everyone…

Poetic Endeavors

Posted in Poetic, Thoughts by

I’m on vacation!!! So, while I’m away, I’m going to be posting some things that I wrote in the past.
Below are some poems
That were written a while back.
This is a haiku.

Swirl

Swirling madness
Thoughts race by
Slow down, quiet
Rest my child.

Make Me

“Give me”, he said
“Give me what’s mine
Give me what will
Belong to me in time.

“Give me the riches
That I might go out
Spend it in revelry
Without any doubt.”

Out into the world
The boy did go
And spending unthinking
His money ran low.

Looking for work
The lad couldn’t find
So down on his luck
He worked with the swine.

Hungry, alone
Friends no longer there
He suffered the deepest
Regret and despair .

A thought, minute
The lad did arise
And back to the father
He determined to stride.

“I left saying give me
I thought of myself
Now father please make me
I’ve need for your help.”

The father, forgiving
Looked not in the past
But the genuine heart
Of the son safe at last.

Bring out the best clothes
Food, music, dance
Tonight we’ll be merry
For a son safe at last.

Inspired from ::: Luke 15 : 11 – 24 

Ode to Core Dump

Give me your segmentation errors,
Give me your core dumps.
Give me lumpy porridge
And black and blue thumbs ….

Throw me in some pseudocode
Throw me in some C
Throw me in the ocean
and say goodbye to me …

No I’m not going looney
Never happened yet
But just give it a little time
Comp sci will see my death!

Freedom Whispers on the Wind

Posted in Bookish by

I’m on vacation!!! So, while I’m away, I’m going to be posting some things that I wrote in the past. Below is a post that I wrote on my writing blog. I’ve re-worked it just a little for this post.  

She stood at the edge, wings tucked in, looking skyward. The feel of the air through her feathers and the sweet caress of the gentle wind under her wings stirred a distant memory, calling to her, pulling her to the edge, whispering for her to take the leap that would send her soaring.

She stood at the edge, frozen. She still remembered the last time the wind called her. She flew to answer it’s called but crashed into an invisible barrier and found herself falling onto the hard floor, her back grazing against the fine grain. Defeated she lay there until her master gently lifted her up and placed her back in her cage, securing the latch.

He cared for her, fixed her wing and nursed her back to life. Yet, it was her master who captured her and caged her. It was her master who laid the initial trap that shackled her and broke her spirit, leaving behind a small bird in a beautiful cage, singing a song for freedom.

As she stood on the edge the soft call of freedom surged through her, “If I try again, I’ll just fail. The pain was unbearable, but it’s not so bad in here, at least I am fed and cared for.”

She turned her back on outside world, hopping over to her water bowl. “It’s not so bad in here.”

The tightness she felt in her chest loosen and she took a deep breath, he smell of the cool evening air filled her tiny lungs. Memories of another time rushed through her, the call was louder this time. “There must be a way, you can find a way.” they seem to whisper, “Come to me and I will sweep you away!”

Unable to deny it any longer she turned towards the opened cage door. The master thought that fear would be enough to hold her, but the wild undulating song of freedom sweep out from deep within; lost but not forgotten. The wind was calling and the distant memory was answering. With a hop and a leap she spread her wings and flew.

Following the whispers of the wind she found a way of escape – an open window behind her dependable prison. Doubts buffeted her as she approached, “Is it really opened? Will I really make it through?” But her wings kept flapping, the call of the inner overwhelming and with a loud trill she pushed onward, through the open window and into the vast expanse of freedom.

Let Justice Roll Down by John Perkins

Posted in Bookish by

I’m on vacation!!! So, while I’m away, I’m going to be posting some things that I wrote in the past. Below is a review of the John Perkins book, Let Justice Roll Down, originally posted on my book blog. A great book about justice and what true justice in Christ looks like. If you have a chance, you should read it! 

“They were like savages – like some horror out of the night. And I can’t forget their faces, so twisted with hate. It was like looking at white-faced demons. Hate did that to them.
But you know, I couldn’t hate back. When I saw what hate had done to them, I couldn’t hate back. I could only pity them. I didn’t ever want hate to do to me what it has already done to those men.”

If anyone had a reason to hold on to hate, it’s John Perkins. In this biographical book, he outlines some of the major incidences where he witnessed and was faced with injustice. The way he handled these situations were surprising and thought provoking.

The beginning opens with the story of how his brother was killed. He continues by explaining the state of the church and his life (as well as his spirtual views), he shares his beliefs and how his experiences shaped his faith and ultimately his reaction to those around him. While standing up for the blacks in his community, he was wrongfully jailed and beaten, almost to death, yet he kept on living a faith-filled life.

This book was quite the emotional journey. It sheds light on the injustices of the not so distant past, a very important reminder for me and a way for me to better deal with the present. Let Justice Roll Down is a stark reminder of how we can hurt one another, even under the disguse of religion and truth. The quote above resonated deeply within me, and seemed to me to be a large theme running through the entire book. Hate turns a person into a savage. It’s easy to hate, to lash out and try to destroy those who hurt you, but how do you love them? And how does justice – the idea of fairness – fit into this?

His story leaves the reader with a lot to reflect on. I can’t stress how much I recommend that everyone read this book. It places you in an uncomfortable place, but I think that’s its worth.

Guest Post: Late Lament

Posted in Thoughts by

I’m on vacation!!! So, while I’m away, I’m going to be posting some things that I wrote in the past, I’m also going to be posting some things from friends. Today, my friend Ben, guest posts. You can read more from Ben on his blog. (And you can remind him to post more). 

I was given the privilege of guest blogging by my friend Shanella. I had previously written a long blog post about my love/hate relationship music and how that relates to the artistic impulse, so I decided to write something that builds on that, bringing together music, words, information and technology. I am writing as a musician and dedicated music listener.

It might seem strange to many youngsters living in this Internet age that people used to buy music in the format of compact discs, vinyl phonograph records (LPs) and cassette tapes. I am dating myself by mentioning that I used to have a fairly large collection of vinyl and still have a large collection of CDs. Similar to how the popularity of the compact disc caused the death of vinyl and cassette tapes back in the late 80s, the mp3, the Ipod, digital downloads and online retailers have caused the near death of CDs in our time, and with that, the death of brick and mortar music retail stores.

I really grieve over the death of brick and mortar stores like the Tower Records that used to be on West 4th Street in the Village. During my high school and college years it was a place of comfort and refuge, my ‘go to’ place when I had some free time. It was where I could see thousands of music albums in one place, with selections ranging from the most obscure albums to the most popular hits for sale and displayed beautifully. I could touch the actual physical items, not just see them as images on a website. The employees there were usually knowledgeable music fans that were helpful with recommendations and suggestions. The albums there were generally a little more expensive than those at competing stores, but the excellent selection and great service more than made up for it. Continue reading →