Thoughts on a new day…. October 7, 2010

Shabbat Shalom!

A world no sooner created
Was on its own path to destruction.
One man was designated as
“righteous in his generation”
A good man in a sea of
Self-righteousness and arrogance
Was entrusted with the survival of
Humanity and
Living things
To preserve a remnant
After a great flood
Would wash away the evil
And enable the world
To start again.
We struggle every day
To steer our own path
Towards goodness
And positive ends.
Sometimes, the baggage we carry
Takes us away from where we should go.
We try to change, but the weight of our burdens
Bogs us down
And prevents us from making progress
On our march towards the future.
And even if we are able to lay down our burdens
And begin anew,
There may be others around us who affect our lives
who are unable to do the same with their burdens.
We have little control over the people around us
When attitudes are unchanging and entrenched
But we can bring ourselves to a new place
Without a great flood that brings destruction
But, rather, with an internal about-face
That enables us to continue on our journey
Unencumbered and renewed.
It is then that we see the rainbow of promise
And the dove carrying an olive branch
The sign of hope and of the peace
That we can know inside ourselves.
If each of us can find the rainbow
And see the dove,
We will be able to create, together
A new day.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry