Nov. 27, 2004 - 19:47 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

In Another's Shoes

Articles in our paper this morning put me in a deeply comtemplative mood. Made me see what I am truly thankful for.

A few quotes, not in the order of priority, because they are all important to me.

Abraham Heschel said, "Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy."

Some of us are just in the "to be" mode while others are living to their fullest. Which am I ? A bit of both depending on the time and troubles encountered. Shouldn't be, but is.

Carl Jung said, "I don't believe there is a God. I know there is a God."

It has only been about three years that I have come to that point in my being.

Elie Weisel said, "Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope too, can be given to one only by other human beings." Elie Weisel also said, "The opposite of love, I have found, is not hate, but indifference."

A man who has been through the hell of the Holocaust and came out on the other side a much better human than I will ever be.

Then there is the thought I have seen in different words with essentially the same meaning, "No matter how bad off you are, just take a quick look around and you will see many who are in a worse condition than you."

Made me think of my Dad in his last years. He'd had a cataract operation on his best eye, before the time a plastic lens was inserted during the operation. Was waiting for it to heal so we could take him to go get prescription glasses. He could no longer move around by himself. All he had other than us visiting with him was TV audio while sitting for endless hours in his wheel chair.

Heather and I did what we could, I would get him up, cleaned up,dressed and lift him into his chair and wheel him to the table for breakfast.

What was so remarkable to me is that never a word of complaint came from that man. Not one single one. He always thanked us for what we did for him.

I wonder how dare I ever complain, when so many people in our city, state, country, world are in so much worse a condition ?

The irritation of small things, the frustration of daily occurrences pile up and led to tantrums, even if only silent. Mea culpa.

Guess it is time for me to wend my way down the trail In Another's Shoes . . . . . .

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