To Life

If my parents could weigh in from their graves, they would tell me that they are glad that I am posting this photo.

My mom and dad have both passed in the last 15 months.  Before their deaths they would frequently talk about the importance of life and enjoying time.  From their place wherever they may be, they are urging all--whether you just celebrated a new year or not--to live, enjoy time, and seize the day.

My folks would have also enjoyed hearing about an experience I had in Dublin last week.  I walked onto the campus at Trinity College. It is a beautiful campus, majestic buildings and inviting grounds. The day I arrived happened to be student fair day.  Readers will remember this from when you were in college.  Early in the year, club representatives would sit behind tables urging newcomers to join their organization. So, the chess club, theater people, society for the study of Ayn Rand, French club, groups like that were arranged in a common space. Must have been 50 of them.   I walked past the Christian student club table and it reminded me that I wanted to go to a Friday night Shabbat service while in Ireland. So, I asked the woman behind the table if there was a Jewish student association booth. She said there was and very willingly, started walking with me around the various tables, looking for the table for the Jewish student club.  Before we found it, we ran into the Islamic Student Association.  So she asked there if they had seen the Jewish student table. The Islamic students also said they had seen the table. So now myself, the Christian student rep, and two Islamic students went looking for the Jewish student table. And we found it.  And there we stood, all three major religious groups smiling. The Jewish student behind the table thanking the Christian and Islamic students for steering me in the right direction. The Islamic students and the Christian student saying, no problem, as they smiled and went back to their booth.  My parents would have liked that story.

They would also be happy that I am wishing all who read this a good shabbas, and encouraging all to celebrate life.