blessings Archives - Values & Ethics

APPRECIATING WHAT YOU HAVE…

Posted by TTT | Jun 21, 2019 | blessings, gratitude |

BEHA’ALOTCHA — No matter how blessed we may be, it is always easy to see someone who has more, is richer, has achieved a lot, or has something that we want. In a world where very little is still private, there are TV shows that give tours of people’s huge estates, newspapers and magazines report annual salaries, and various social networking sites give us lengthy lists of others’ accomplishments. It can be hard to live without looking over one’s shoulder to see who has more than we do. However, it is just as important to look over your othershoulder...

LEARNING FROM ADVERSITY…

Posted by TTT | Jun 7, 2019 | attitude, blessings, courage |

BAMIDBAR — A mother hovers over her young son climbing on monkey bars. A thirteen year-old girl’s parents won’t let her walk alone to the school bus stop two blocks away. Another parent decides what her children wear to school each day. Parents of course have the job of protecting their kids, but the question is how much should they protect. Should parents always step in when the homework is rough? Should parents call another child’s parent when their son or daughter is having a conflict with that child? Keeping children in a hothouse for all of childhood, not...

PASSOVER—Is Freedom Free?

Posted by TTT | Apr 18, 2019 | blessings, holidays, rituals |

PASSOVER — Freedom is such an attractive concept to us all. We like the idea of doing what we want, when we want. Often we think that being free of rules, regulations, and requirements are important for us to feel free. Could we be wrong in expecting too much of freedom? What if people did exactly as they pleased, whenever they wanted. Life could get very confusing, complicated, and dangerous. On Passover, we celebrate our freedom from slavery with a Seder. Interestingly the word Seder means order, and our special celebration of freedom starts with 15 steps to follow....

SIMCHAT TORAH—Opportunities for Joy

Posted by TTT | Sep 30, 2018 | blessings, gratitude, holidays, rituals, teaching moments |

SIMCHAT TORAH — Unbridled joy is the gift that children often experience as they go through their daily lives. They are capable of so much feeling, of happiness and sadness, and with such intensity. We celebrate with them when they are happy, and we are sad when they grieve. At times it’s important not to get too caught up with our children’s emotions and to maintain a calm front in the face of their ups and downs. At other times, it’s important to get right in there and rejoice or grieve right along with them. As a parent it...

SUKKOT—Fragility, Fear, and Blessing

Posted by TTT | Sep 21, 2018 | blessings, challenges, holidays |

SUKKOT — Much of what we do tries to instill in our children a sense of security. What a challenge it is when life presents something unexpected to us that shows us how fragile we really are. Life in all its fragility can be difficult. We carry around fears of illness and worse for ourselves or our children or other loved ones. Everyone, at some point in life is faced with this feeling of fragility. The Holiday of Sukkot is all about fragility. A sukkah is a temporary shelter with a roof that allows us to see the sky...

Category: blessings

APPRECIATING WHAT YOU HAVE…

LEARNING FROM ADVERSITY…

PASSOVER—Is Freedom Free?

SIMCHAT TORAH—Opportunities for Joy

SUKKOT—Fragility, Fear, and Blessing

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