HISTORY IS NOT A PARTY GAME OF TELEPHONE, PASSING MISUNDERSTANDINGS ROUND THE TABLE ...

Engaging in research makes me wonder how often history—passed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next as factual—actually bends the truth in similar fashion to the party game of telephone in which misunderstandings, passed from one person to the next around the table, result in good natured laughter.  On the other hand, when it comes to recording historical facts, passing misunderstandings from generation to generation is no laughing matter.  For example, below you'll find an on line article, illustrating how often we assume that whatever has been passed down is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth—from God’s mouth to our ears ...

Quoting (The Christian Post.com) April 29, 2017

Was Jesus a Carpenter or a Stonemason?

By ROBBY GALLATY

“For centuries, Western Christians have associated Joseph, Jesus's earthly father, with carpentry. For many of us, we read children's Bibles that show him teaching young Jesus how to saw, hammer nails, and create wooden joints. But was this the type of work that Jesus was engaged in? Is this what he learned from his earthly father, Joseph? We have perhaps been misled over the years by faulty cultural assumptions, overshadowing much of what Jesus said, did, and fulfilled in his life and ministry.

The central misunderstanding comes from a translation issue that occurred centuries ago. It focuses on a verse in Matthew 13. After Jesus teaches in his hometown synagogue, the crowd asks, "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary?"(v. 55). The Greek word tekton, translated here as carpenter, is more accurately rendered as craftsman or builder. At face value, without taking the Jewish cultural background into consideration, a carpenter could fit that description. However, a quick survey of northern Israel's landscape reveals that the job of carpenter may not be the best fit for that Greek word.

The majority of homes in Israel, as noted by Hebraic scholar James W. Fleming, are constructed with stone. Fleming explains: "Jesus and Joseph would have formed and made nine out of ten projects from stone either by chiseling or carving the stone or stacking building blocks." (^{i) Does this mean that Jesus never worked with wood? While we can't say conclusively one way or the other, the fact is that a man attempting to make a living as a wood carpenter would have had a challenging time because trees were, and still are, relatively scarce in that region.”}

Here's a fact proves as true as true can be:
No matter how much food for thought I absorb about
World wide need to engage in peaceable (mutually respectful)
Discussions concerning differing beliefs
The proactive nature of my mind always hungers for more, and
As it's 3:45PM, and I've not yet had lunch, it's off to the kitchen I go—

MAKING MATZOH BALLS WITH LOVE NOT WAR—PART IV

So, we were in the car on our way to the movies when
I proceeded to bend Will’s ear with a synopsis of
This week’s posts, and here was his response:
Why didn’t you include the fact that God named a city after you?
Puzzled, I went for the bait and asked, which one?
At that he replied Babble-on, which
In ancient times was spelled B-a-b-y-l-o-n.
LOL!

On a serious note, let’s take another quick glance over
The historical time line so as to clarify
This next insight into deeper truth:
Mankind has been heading in a positively focused
Direction concerning world peace by taking
Two steps forward, one back, ever since
Cave dwellers, sporting back packs made of
Dinosaur skins, became nomads, in search of
Bettering their lives, and that took courage, because
Human nature instinctively fears change, which is why
Monumental changes for the better are achieved
For the most part, in infinitesimal increments, each
Of which takes an interminable length of time before
Improvement (most especially on a global scope) is
Seen and felt by all concerned—something to ponder upon as
This year's calendar draws Passover and Easter (which
Have been recorded as opposing religious ideologies)
Together, as magnetically as insight into deeper truth suggests
The same is true of impassioned men and women, whose
Memories rarely record the same experience the same way as
In:  He said/she said ...

As the comment box always
Hungers for food for thought
I’d truly appreciate hearing from
Anyone who would like to enlighten
My conscious awareness with
Knowledge concerning any matter on this topic that
Peaks your interest inclusive of holidays celebrated
By those who follow the Muslim faith, which
May line up in tandem with those of
The Old Testament (The Torah) and The New Testament
(Penned by Paul in ancient Ephesus, where he delivered
Mary, fifty years after they’d witnessed
The heartless crucifixion of her beloved son, his beloved friend)
And thus was it in Ephesus that Paul, a disciple of Jesus
Recorded his own personal interpretation of the Bible while
Imprisoned for teaching that Jesus was the son of God

As the absorption of integrated knowledge remains close to
The heart of this family communications instructor's
Unquenchable thirst for mind-expanding knowledge,
I hope your sense of clarity will absorb my plea to
Free your existential voice to speak your mind as
I have mine, and having said my say, I’ll end
Part IV of this week's insight-driven
Intuitive train of thought, which, based in an
Educated sense of hindsight, has offered
My conscious mind the foresight to resurrect
The spirit of yet another King, whose
Melodic voice, winging down from on high, can
Still be heard round the world singing
Love Me Tender, love me true—offering everyone
Sound reason to seriously reconsider
The soul's heartfelt message, which clearly speaks of
Leaving lip service behind in favor of joining hands as
We, who make up the far-sighted end of
The bell shaped curve on the historical time line
Hope to encourage those in the middle to feel inspired to
Contemplate world-wide need to take the next
Courageous step along our communal path toward
Identifying egocentric vulnerabilities and
Flawed beliefs of our own so as to forgive those of
Our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, neighbors
Political and religious leaders, thus acknowledging that
The eternal nature of human imperfection, which has
All too readily been inflamed to strike down
Opposing opinions since the beginning of
The historical time, which has continued to
Coil up as of today, includes you and me, and
In this way doth the Jewish woman, who
I am proud to be, place a high value upon
Words of wisdom with which
A gentle prophet from ancient times encouraged
The people of the world to redeem our
Soulful connection to generosity of spirit, thus
Enriching our sense of togetherness, which
Deepens inner peace that we’d supposedly lost when
Eve offered Adam the first taste of
Carnal (or was it intuitive?) knowledge, and
If carnal knowledge is actually Intuitive then
Isn’t it high time for man to stop thinking that
Testosterone inflames his sex drive more than
Estrogen empowers the same desire within
The fairer sex—and by fairer I’m referencing
A mental attitude of inner beauty rather than
A mental image of that which is physical in nature—
Oh my God—
Today's train of thought is on such an intuitive
Mind expanding roll as to caution my well practiced
Line of control to step on the brakes, because
Given free rein, I have no conscious clue as to
Where this unrestrained release of
Mental energy may take us, next—so I'll end
This four part soliloquy by wishing
A Happy Passover, Happy Easter to one and all
(And once again, if you do not follow
The Jewish or Christian persuasion, please note that
My mind and comment box always
Hunger to be fed food for thought)
Amen

MAKING MATZOH BALLS WITH LOVE NOT WAR—PART III

Though today is Tuesday—let's note that
This post was originally penned on Monday, April 2nd, so
I'll start off with something that confused me until
My thought processor remembered that
Sunday was April Fools Day, at which time
I caught wind of the fact that God has a sense of humor

You see, one of our cousins was so busy working for
Big Business as to have somehow mistaken the first night of
Passover as falling on Easter Sunday, at which time
She and her family conducted their Seder, so
While chuckling, together, over wide spread mental dizziness
We decided that God, in his/her infinite wisdom, played
An April fools joke on her by drawing both holidays
Together—inside her head, and after you and I have
Imagined my cousin making matzoh balls with
The Easter Bunny (who asked if she was planning to
Color the eggs, which were boiling on the stove next to
The pot within which the savory aroma of chicken soup was
Simmering), lets pocket that imaginative laugh along with
Countless funny family stories as, once again
We return to those days of yesteryear when
Memory reminds me of how often I’d heard Will’s mother say:
Man plans and God laughs, and as she was not the one
Who coined that insight, which has been passed down from
One generation to the next, let’s see how far back into
Ancient history we must reach in hopes of expanding
Our understanding of this next string of inter-related
Insights concerning the historical time line, which
Is presently flashing through my mind as if to
Remind us to remember that
Every step taken from the beginning of mankind is
Connected to where we have come to be, today:

Rather than glancing over the historical time line, let's
Look closely at telling events so as to see why
I believe the time line is not a straight line—
In truth, the historical time line forms a coil made up of
Repetitive cycles depicting mankind's universal quest to
Fight, when necessary, for the right to existential freedoms in
Hopes of defeating corrupt political leaders, who, upon
Achieving absolute power, show themselves to be self absorbed
Control freaks whose internal emotional combustion enslaves
Every next generation unless the rebellious, idealistic spirit of
A youthful leader of the oppressed rises up to inspire his
Brethren to unite and fight to the death until
The freedom to respect each other’s differences has, once again
Been won, suggesting that the eternal nature of humankind’s
Internal flame of existentialism can never be completely
Extinguished as long as the very first breath of
Every brand new life is born to inhale the human spirit’s
On-going need to express his/her God given
Right to think and decide for oneself—and though
‘In the beginning' religious belief was meant to
Consciously heighten the self awareness of brothers and sisters to
Consider the sad fate of Cain and Abel by offering the populous of
Ancient times a wide range of insight-driven bible stories, illustrating
Disasterous results that were bound to shatter inner peace if
Positively focused trains of thought could not deter an injured ego from
Usurping total control over our minds, and though these stories had been
Passed down by word of mouth (like the party game of telephone) until
Scribes felt driven to record mankind’s personal need to embrace the concept of
Emotional self discipline on sacred scrolls in hopes of inspiring
Extended families to work through their conflicts respectfully rather than
Freeing rage to shatter their spirit of brotherhood so irrepairingly as to
Fracture their sense of togetherness into waring camps—
And thus does hindsight highlight this deeper truth:
Over time, religion, alone, has not gentled the egocentric, power hungry
Side of human nature from tying dissenting opinions to stakes once
Impassioned rage grows so hatefully inflamed as to burn dissidents
Alive while observers circle round, cheering so madly as to
Make me ponder over this sad reality concerning how quickly
Mob rule ignites our communal connection to sanity to
Go up in smoke, suggesting that insanity, based in
Our brain stem’s unquenchable thirst for power, is naturally
More contagious to the masses than is true of our higher brain power’s hunger
For knowledge, and here’s the conundrum associated with that historical fact:
Common sense suggests that knowledge IS power—
And with that said, thank goodness we see armies of youth marching into
Universities in hopes of arming young brains with information necessary to
Keep a greater semblance of peace throughout the world than that which
Is readily assessable to those who dwell within the confines of
Third world countries, where brutal dictators work like crazy to
Brainwash uneducated youth to martyr themselves in the name of God by
Strapping bombs to their chests after stoning women who were
Victims of rape—making me ask how much longer will we close our eyes to
This reality as well:  Here at home, we empower the subtle nature of
Bullies to enslave men and women as Big Business tycoons conspire to
Formulate interest groups that paralyze our national government from
Passing legislation, which upon remodeling our tax structure, will
No longer deprive the over worked, silent majority (that makes up
The center swell of the bell shaped curve) of family time, which
Proves as close to extinct as is true of down time in which to relax from
Daily stress over income, dully earned but withheld while personal dignity
And respect for a job well done are disregarded, and that trilogy of
Travesties will only worsen unde our current administration, which
Advocates:—to the vicious egocentric nature of hard-hearted victors go
The spoils of Big Business once those who have lost everything feel so
Dispirited and exhausted from the futility of
Trying to make ends meet dispense with youthful, idealistic
Trains of thought based in existential freedoms for this reason:
Spiritual need to thrive wains once human distress grows so
Bitterly despairing as to stop seeking change for the better in favor of
Lowering expectations of succeeding beyond survival, and thus
Have historians observed insanity reigning over sanity, time
And again, until eventually, a generation of youth is born, which—
Behind complacency’s persona—harbors an intuitive
Combustible sense of internal rebellion until a leader arises, whose
Inner strengths inspire an enslaved people's heartfelt need for
Existential freedom to be resurrected and openly expressed, and
Once again, the good fight is on until, over time, liberation has been
Courageously won—and one day, I believe education will
Become so wide spread that today’s quest for existential freedoms will
Be won—not by waging wars that spill the blood of our youth
All over our souls—but by way of resurrecting
Reverend King’s dream, which, like my own, embraces
An emotional line of control so conscientiously constructed
And so consistently employed as to set personally defensive reactions in
Time out thus empowering the human brain's higher thinking powers to
Remain clearly focused upon inspiring tomorrow’s children (disciples), as did
Sages through the ages, like Moses, Jesus and Lincoln, who
Felt inspired to role model self-empowered, well-disciplined absorption of
Positively focused, empathetic solution seeking trains of thought, which
Over time, continues to become ever more wide spread so that
Some day, long standing, defensively combustible conflicts will be
Peaceably resolved—two steps forward one back—and I believe that
The illusive, heartfelt nature of so worthy a long range goal will
One day be absorbed by the open minds of children, raised at
Their mother’s knee, in one well educated home after another, suggesting
That future leaders of today's warmongering world will
Feel inspired to awaken to embrace this intuitive truth as their own:
The mindful absorption of brotherhood deepens inner peace, which
Precedes leadership's ability to work together in tandem to provide
All people with a future in which the innate intelligence of
Men and women (shed of burkas) is no longer denied basic
Human rights of equality, liberty, education and the pursuit of
Happiness (which working women throughout
The United States are still struggling in unison to change for
The better as their agile, well educated minds continue to
Bump up against glass ceilings, today), and if we are to embrace
The higher concept of role modeling ‘Make love not war’ to
Our young—and if our current engagement in
The war against terror (waged in The Middle East for eons), has
A higher purpose than any of today’s emotionally egocentric
Power struggling leaders can fathom—then
Thank goodness for the human brain's potential to
Continue to develop heightened levels of emotional intelligence, which
Will intuit when to embrace patience, humility and courage while
Hindsight gifts our conscious minds with flashes of insight that
Will brighten the intuitive minds of our grandchildren’s intelligence with
Visions of foresight, concerning how best to mentally wrestle
Mankind’s basic instincts (which will always exhibit egocentric desire to
Aggressively dominate brothers and sisters as long as
Each of us is born with a brain stem) to the mat so as to free our
Processors of mixed messaged madness that confuses
Our innate potential to brainstorm, together, toward achieving
The looong range goal of elevating leadership’s peace-seeking
Peace-keeping trains of thought by way of embracing
The mutually respectful attitude of one-for-all-and-all-for-one absorbed
At mother's knee—family by family—nation by nation
(Gosh—just think of how wondrous life might be if we imagine
Moses, Noah, Jesus, Socrates, Shakespeare, H. Tubman, Lincoln
Gandhi, Mandela, King, E. Roosevelt, G. Meir captaining
The United Nations in hopes of creating a ship so well balanced that
Unlike the Titanic, the liberties of the people of the world could be
Safeguarded, today  (please take note that Plato is
Not amongst that crew—why not?  He’s in time out, pondering upon
The fact that his writings proclaimed women's brains inferior to men's)
As reality insists that we can't magically transform the fantasy above
To form a round table discussion of world leaders, today
We're currently stuck with the mentality of Trump, who was elected to
Preside over our congress, which was also elected—regardless of
The fact that common knowledge knew that our nation's leader
Fires off deeply insulting, war-like missiles every time
He opens his egocentric mouth—see what I mean about observing
Insanity running so rampant through our streets as to have
Elected a person whose mind is clearly afflicted with megalomaniac
Delusions of grandeur to invade the sanctity of The Oval Office?

In case you think me a cock-eyed optimist, please note that
The realism, noted within this lengthy soliloquy,
Has not yet reached its bottom line, suggestive of the fact that
I can feel Part IV cooking up another batch of
Matzoh balls—I mean insights, simmering inside my mind ...
(When my sons were boys, intent on acting like Cain and Abel—
I taught them to say—time to lighten up—and following
My own advice, it’s time to rebalance
My emotional outlook so as to enjoy the rest of today)

MAKING MATZOH BALLS WITH THE EASTER BUNNY—PART II

Before we consider similarities between Passover and Easter:
Let's reference the first two holidays mentioned in
Part I of this post (Christmas and Chanukah)
And in the interest of clarity, it may be best to consider
The bigger picture as represented by each one in
As objective a manner as proves humanly possible:

If Christmas celebrates the miracle of human life
(Gosh, I just realized that three wise men gathered round
The humble beginning of this innocent babe in similar fashion to
Three magical fairies, offering gifts to save an innocent child, who'd
Fallen under a spell, from unconsciously sleeping her life away) then—

Chanukah celebrates the universal spirit awakening each
Next generation of children to light candles in commemoration of
Every person’s right to reclaim his/her existential freedom after
The older generation has wearily succumbed to threats of
Mental and physical enslavement at the hands of hard hearted
Power hungry persecutors, suggesting that both holidays speak of
Hope to the communal soul of youth round the world with
This exception:  Beginning in ancient times when
Cave-dwellers evolved into nomads, roaming the earth in
Search of a better life, arguments concerning the powers of
My God vs yours have continued to undermine mankind's
Peaceful co-existence by igniting emotional reactiveness
Amongst clans to grow ever more insanely inflamed, and
Insane proves to be the correct choice of word for this reason:
Was anything sane about thumbs up or down in the Roman Colosseum?
Was anything sane about the inflammatory savagery of The Inquisition?
How about the stench rising from flesh burning ovens during The Holocaust?
And what about the holy (?) war, which is intent upon enslaving
The entire world, today?  If insanity is defined as doing
The same thing the same way,  repeatedly, while expecting
A different result then my choice of the word insane is
Right on the mark as long as the fearful, selfish side of
Human nature continues to close its eyes to this deeper truth:
We are our brothers and sisters keepers on a global scope—
And if compassion for the suffering of others has not yet stirred
Your soul's generosity of spirit to awaken then let's
Try this insight on for size, knowing that repetition is not
Redundant when our goal is mental retention:
Once the insane feel free to enslave 'them', they will come for
US—oh wait—that's already the case!

I believe you'd agree to defining the insane as including
Twisted minds of all ages grown so callous as to blow away
The lives of innocent children, who, for sound reason, no longer
Feel safe in school or shopping centers or even in their front yards

The fact that the silent majority has continued to vote for
Politicians whose egocentric positions of personal power
Cower with fear at the very thought of standing up to
The NRA so as to pass gun control legislation that demands
Reformation is also insane, suggesting that, throughout history
The fearful side of human nature has closed our eyes to
Insanity running rampant through our streets until
Tragic consequences, based in apathy, knock on our front doors

I find it of interest to note that though our government takes steps to
Stop terrorists born on foreign soil from blowing up our bodies
No steps—not a one—has been taken to stop Big Brother, I mean
The NRA (and Big Business) from shackling the minds of
Politicians, elected to serve—we the people, who
Finding ourselves and our children in harms way—
Continue to be shot down in cold blood—day after day

I find it of interest to note that in every generation, it is
The spirit of youthful idealism that musters the courage to
Stand up and speak to the silent majority of voters of
Need for change, which proves desperately overdue
And thus has today’s insight driven train of intuitive thought
Conveyed our minds toward considering the second pair of holidays—
Passover and Easter—both of which commemorate humankind's belief in
The resurrection of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness after
Heartless persecution has brutally condemned the innocent to
Suffer the agony of an unjust, viciously conceived, terribly painful death as
Ruthless rulers continue to state:  Serve me by believing what I believe and
Do only as I say or die a public death as agonizing as crucifixion, burning or
Stoning so that observers, fearing my power to brutalize your lives, will
Bend to my will and thus, if at this point on the historical time line you think
To ask:  What has changed for the better since biblical times?  I'd reply:
Manifest Destiny continues to bow to the well-educated concept of
All for one and one for all on a global scope, and if you think otherwise
I'd suggest trading in your camera for one with a wide-angled lens, because
Just as terrorists terrorize innocent families, today, any amongst us who feels
Holier than thou would be wise to watch Dances with Wolves, from
Time to time, followed by wandering down to Walden Pond so as to ponder upon
The fact that one native American tribe enslaved another, because
Time and again, deeper truth uncovers the sad fact that
From time immemorial, human nature is human nature, and line of
Control or not—Pocahontas and John Smith will continue to defy
Their elders’ separatist beliefs, born of defensive fear, by falling for each other

Each time we remember to expand narrow thinking patterns so as to look
At history through a wide angled lens, we can clearly see that
The classic nature of Romeo and Juliette are reborn within
Every generation, suggesting that our children are innately meant to
Love one another without prejudice (which must be taught) regardless of
Restrictive societal customs, religious beliefs or variations of color—
As for me, while my love and respect for my Jewish heritage
Remains strong, I've grown to overcome my fear of
Assimilation in favor of embracing the universal spirit of
Togetherness that I believe a humble stonecutter, who chose
To grow up to be a rabbi, did his best to inspire one and all to
Adopt the attitude of mental, emotional and religious generosity in
Hopes of passing a far sighted ideology onto future generations—and
Somehow, his ideology was changed, not for the better, after his death, and
Having mustered the courage to pen today's post on the weekend when
Passover and Easter converge, my time to write has drawn to a close; so
I'll leave you with several thought provoking videos and photos upon which
To ponder until time permits us to pick up this thread in hopes of continuing to
Sew a patchwork quilt that proves everlasting concerning our global need to
Strengthen the spirit of universal togetherness when next we meet

Conjoining Thanksgiving with Jewish Traditions from 'the old country' 2016

Ravi rolling dough for knishes

Conjoining Chanukah and Christmas Traditions for tomorrow's leaders, today
(See Santa Claus Hats and Hebrew letters on spinning dreidels sharing the stage at school)

As Tony and Ray were not with us for Thanksgiving, Marie asked to make
Knishes for Christmas—and yes, we made latkes, too 2017

Conjoining Passover and Easter Traditions for tomorrow's leaders, today 2018

As we glance over the historical time line, we find, time and again, that

The only constant in life is change—and though it's true that some things change while
Others remain the same, the conscious absorption of

Attitudinal changes for the better is everything

If you ask what will Tony, Ray, and Ravi absorb
Concerning their existential beliefs about God?
Well, they'll absorb the ideology that is true of each of us who
Make up our expanding family:
Whether Jewish or Christian, insight into deeper truth suggests that
We've each decided what to believe and how much to believe for ourselves
And as time marches forward and changes in my belief system continue to
Inspire intriguing thoughts to stimulate my processor to dive ever more deeply within
History suggests that I'll open my mind in hopes of encouraging my think tank to embrace objectivity, Again and again ...
WISHING A HAPPY PASSOVER AND EASTER TO
ONE AND ALL ...
(And if voice has not been given to Muslim celebrations—
Please NOTE—comment box is always eager to be fed ...)

LETS BLESS THE MIRACLE OF LIFE WITH THE SPIRIT OF TOGETHERNESS

Before publishing part II of yesterday’s post entitled
MAKING MATZOH BALLS WITH LOVE NOT WAR
My existential voice awaken me, this morning, with
Need to say that insights added to that train of thought prove
So worthy of your consideration as not to be missed before
We advance toward observations concerning
Communal celebrations, which were originally meant to
Unify though reality suggests that we consider this reality:
Religious celebrations actually recreate the big divide that
Separates so many families into angry camps, deeply mired in
Defensive reactions, which keep both sides stuck in sad places
So dark as to blind every spirit from seeing
The light of insight at the end of the tunnel, beckoning
One and all to awaken from sleeping spells cast over
Humankind, eons ago, when egos, struggling for dominance
Dismissed our innate potential to respect (rather than fearing)
Each other’s differences so as to deepen each person's connection to
Inner peace by gifting one another with the freedom to arise
Each morning, feeling as self confident as does a child, who
Having being blessed with The Miracle of Life, feels
So deeply loved and safe from harm as to
Believe himself/herself adventurously able to accomplish every
Task, no matter how complicated, as the future unfolds, and
So, before we take two steps forward toward embracing
The joyful blessing of togetherness that we wish for
The world, let’s consider insights added to yesterday's post, which
May brighten your path and mine, enabling us to
Stumble less frequently over yesteryear's rocky missteps as
Our futures unfold, and as always tis important to note that
Whether you choose to take steps that will identify and heal
The injured portions of your self image (Otherwise known as
Subconscious hot spots, which when poked cause
Repressed reactions of defensiveness to flare) is
‘Soully’ up to you—as for me, I’ll continue to call upon
My well practiced line of self control to line up
One positively focused train of thought after another, each
Spotlighting the spirit of togetherness, which lights my path with
Strings of insight concerning my hope to continue to encourage
My loved ones to follow my lead as I choose to role model
The emotional intelligence necessary to work through
Differences, which are bound to erupt as family life continues to
Expand, and with that end in mind do I remind myself during
Moments fraught with conflict to place my defensive reactions in
Time out (which is not easy) in favor of conscientiously keeping
My mind’s eye trained upon maintaining a joyous sense of
Familial togetherness for this reason:
The fixer, who could not fix anyone but me, may be retired; however
The Pied Piper continues to sing in tune with lyrics that lovingly encourage
Each next generation to embrace the gift of peaceful co-existence in
Home after home—as can be seen by glancing over
Our family's time line, beginning with David's birth, over 40 years ago
(And yes—if you look closely, you’ll see David snuggled in the photo below :)

Future Leaders of America

MAKING MATZOH BALLS WITH LOVE—NOT WAR Part I

With the approach of Spring comes Passover—
And having lost many family members to
The Holocaust, I celebrate this holiday as
The human soul’s universal quest for
Freedom of heart, mind, body and spirit—and
As such, Springtime, being birthing time, portends to be
The perfect time to free my existential, self assertive voice to
Express the depths of my desire to encourage every person who
Hopes for world peace (which I believe will
Some day, grace the lives of our brothers and
Sisters around the globe) to tune into intuitive need to
Muster the courage to consciously work at mastering
Self control by sitting our defensive reactions of
Fight/flee/freeze in time out so as to make better use of
Our smarts when electing leaders, who were raised to
Resolve long standing conflicts by absorbing
The self confident, cooperative attitude of
All-for-one-and-one-for-all, knowing that divided
Our communities fail to achieve
Heartfelt goals; united we work ever more effectively toward
Developing the illusive inner strength of emotional intelligence that
Precedes inner peace, which factors in whenever
A summit, made up of leadership, brainstorms successfully toward
Achieving a mutually respectful and thus equally
Beneficial sense of global need for world peace—

You see, I believe that, some day in the distant future
Heightened levels of emotional maturity will guide
The educated minds of world leaders to base their
Decision-making process less in power struggling for
Dominance as more of us open our minds to embrace
Humankind’s innate potential to integrate
The power of intuition into our trains of thought, and
As such will the decision-making process of
Future generations evolve toward gleaning wisdom from
Sages past rather than giving lip service to
High principled ideals, which had long ago inspired
A great prophet, born of humble beginnings, to
Intuitively and thus naturally encourage the populous of
His time to gather round, listen up and set aside
Their instinctive defensive reactions in favor of placing
Their faith in mankind’s generosity of spirit most especially
During moments fraught with conflict, and then—
As artfully rendered by Leonardo DeVinci—
I imagine this great prophet, presiding over what
Proved to be his last supper on the eve of Passover, suggesting
That, during his lifetime, he had not separated from his Jewish roots
And as he'd asked the same four questions that
Jewish families the world over will ask at sundown, tonight —and
Since today’s post raises a fifth question in my mind, here it is:
Is it possible that each of you who feels naturally drawn to
Consider my personal trains of thought may be hoping that
One day your sense of self awareness will be enhanced by
Flashes of intuitive insight that will spotlight hidden pockets
Of subconscious memory within which your emotional
Reaction to one terrifying experience or another has been
Buried alive in such a raw state of pain as to stimulate
Anxiety to spike each time repressed fear of
Re-experiencing another episode of undeserved pain
Arises, most especially at those times when your personal needs
Clash with the needs of those who hold your sense of
Security within their hands, because if that's true then
This is true, as well:
As long as the subconscious presence of unresolved
Undeserved guilt remains buried alive in a repressed
 Unidentified state of being, fear will unknowingly
Infiltrate your decision-making process causing
Certain basic needs to go unmet, and
When basic needs remain denied, over long
Inner conflict results in the disruption of inner peace
And that negative cycle can not begin to reverse until
Your conscious awareness begins to connect with
Your intuitive power of insight on a regular basis
Whew!  Time to take a break to breathe!

As the herding instinct of makes us creatures of habit
Human beings habitually enjoy the annual re-creation of
Traditional celebrations, which, being communal in nature
Draw us together so as to deepen our sense of
Safe keeping within the herd, and as we hope to re-create
An idealistic perception of family life as often as possible
We look forward to experiences, which, for the most part
Are spiritually uplifting; for example (in addition to
Holy festivals during autumn), every winter, Christmas is
Celebrated in close proximity to Chanukah and
The same holds true each spring of Easter and Passover—and
With each of those star-like insights dancing brightly round inside
Our heads, here comes the emergent chorus line of
Intuitive thoughts aiming to kick up mankind’s soulful desire to
Make love not war by spotlighting this next deeper truth, which
My sixth sense can feel tunneling forth from within
The positively focused side of my mind ...

MAKING MATZOH BALLS

I just stopped by to mention that insights were added to yesterday’s post, conveying our need to muster a whale of patience as we work toward achieving our looong range goal of world peace, which, upon closer examination, moves along the historical time line in infinitesimal steps—two forward, one back—in an impassioned tango-like fashion.

Next, if we glance over my personal time line, zooming in on these last three years, we’ll land on today, where you’ll see Ravi clearly preparing our Passover feast (with just a tiny bit of help from me), and just as Ravi was eagerly rolling light-as-air matzoh balls, this morning, you can be certain that she’ll happily gobble them up at Seder, tomorrow evening.

A HEARTFELT FLASH OVER THESE PAST THREE YEARS

Ravi's first Passover

 

Ravi's second Passover

Gramma—I have hair shimmers (beneath flower) just like you!

And lipstick, too! I 'lob' it!

Face painting still fading

PERSONAL TIMELINE UPDATED TO INCLUDE TODAY

As tis wise to conserve time on such a busy day
All I feel need to say is—
Boy oh boy do Ravi and I wish Tony and Ray
Had been with us while we cooked up
Tomorrow's feast, today!
However, we are separated by hundreds of miles, and
Though we've not yet prepared a holiday feast all together
By and by, that's bound to change for the better

Little can compare with blending these three ingredients as
Seen above into a  recipe for personal happiness, which proves so
Delicious and nutritious to heart and spirit as to
Inspire the soul of our family to create as many memories of
Togetherness as busy calendars permit
And if you ask how we maintain this mutually respectful
Spirit of familial togetherness, year after year, I'd reply:
We consciously place as high a value on
Each other's differences as we do on loving one other with
Generosity of spirit
As to the three munchkins above
In addition to melting our hearts
They personify the melting pot, which our nation proves to be
And hopefully, as each one grows toward adulthood
All three will feel encouraged to be counted amongst
Countless, well educated, future leaders of America whom
The silent majority will one day depend upon to inspire
The spirit of togetherness to flourish in
Every endeavor that each one chooses, existentially, for him/herself