Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.
Another winter has passed. Summer is fast approaching. Perhaps now is the time for all that has transpired to be reviewed as we reconcile the past with the present and as we anticipate the future.
The experiences for the last six months are recorded for all to see. However, it is not just a simple exercise in remembering. It should be a time to think about the challenges life affords us. Perhaps as the heat sets in we should think about what that will be as it, too, begins to subside.
For example: We shape our destiny by words and deeds. Have we listened to someone and really heard what was said? Words are so important in everything we do. Relationships depend on words. And all too often we say things we do not mean or say things that are mean.
Creation occurred because “God said.” We, too, have the power to create with words: a great society, a great life, a great understanding of our purpose.
What we should do with the time allotted to us is to transform ourselves from less to more. From less caring to more giving. From less compassion to more love. We should take the time to involve ourselves in responsible living. Not just yearly or monthly, but every day. Now more than ever we should be concerned about what we do with the rest of our lives and what we leave for those who follow.
We can and should be continually on the threshold of creating a new feeling of solidarity. Not just American solidarity, but human solidarity. We should encourage a feeling of belonging. We should feel pride in what we have accomplished.
We can and should share the beauty of faith and understanding and caring and love. These can be found in a kiss or a smile or a touch and, yes, even in our collective prayers. We can and should represent all that is good with a kind deed or a kind word.
Life is about rekindling the passion in our relationships. Life is about learning to make our moments last, because the best of times is now. Life is about shaping a blessing from a single touch. Life is about sympathizing with others to eliminate hopelessness. Life is about visualizing the signs that are right in front of us. Life is about hope and trust and caring. Life is about removing nothingness and replacing it with purpose.
God doesn’t need another psalm or poem or song. What God does need is for us to realize that we do not speak empty words or break promises or break hearts. What God does need is for us to not hate or destroy but rather build a community of humankind dedicated to the enhancement of life’s enjoyments by making it even better than before.
So, as we say goodbye to winter, may our prayers find a resting place nestled in the arms of a caring and loving God. May the record of our achievements encourage us to create an even more vibrant encounter with what life is all about. And the words found in Romans will ring true today as when they were written: “I am certain of this: neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nothing already in existence and nothing still to come, nor any power, nor the heights, nor the depths, nor any created thing whatever, will be able to come between us and God’s love.”