Any day is a good day for a fresh start. Any day is a good day 
to study a little Torah. In terms of the Torah, this is a very special time of
year. It is the holiday of Simchas Torah which is a public reading of the end
and the beginning of the Torah. It done with great joy and dancing and delicious
feasts. It starts the evening of September 26th this year and it is a great time
to try out a new synagogue (no tickets required).

The coming weeks are  the very first portions of the five books of Moses. They are some of the most
poetic and inspiring of portions.  If you have never read the Torah from
the beginning, this is a good time to start Tiptoeing with me. With every week,
you will know that you belong to a virtual community who care about God and
  learning God's Ways through Torah.

Starting fresh with the Torah's public reading cycle is especially good for those who feel a chaos in their
life, or a darkness or a void. This is because the world begins in darkness and
God brings in light. When you learn Torah, you bring light to your soul and give
it a recharge. When you learn Torah, you engage your mind and distract yourself
from negative thinking. When you learn Torah, you have something to talk about
with people who are also interested in Torah, religion and spiritual
matters.

Give Tiptoeing Through The Torah a try this year from the beginning or find a convenient study class on-line or locally.  Tis
the season for fresh starts!

Not everything that happens in our life is good.  But I believe everything that happens in our lives can all be given meaning and used for good. 

I think about the different tragedies in my life and all the struggles along the way and I realize again and again that it is up to me to find the good, to give the meaning, to accept and to move forward.

Finding the good is often the hardest part because that requires a certain kind of trust and belief that God knows what God is doing.  God sees the big picture.  I know my vision is limited. 

Giving meaning to something bad that has happened is a very profound and personal experience.  It emerges over time and rarely can be rushed.  Sometimes we give meanings which are temporary so we can get us from one "space into another".  Sometimes the meanings last forever.  All are healing.

Acceptance is a daily practice and doesn't come without some work because it goes hand in hand with forgiveness.  Practicing compassion is a also good way to cultivate acceptance.  

Moving forward is another word for change and, as well all know, transition is hard. But moving forward is a positive change which is self-rewarding and helps build confidence. Positive action relieves anxiety, shows courage, earns respect and gives personal release.  

Not all that happens in life is good but we can find that sliver of meaning, the tiny spark of hope and the seed for a new stalk of inspiration and bloom.

When was the last time you said “THANK GOD!” out loud? A few years ago I shouted it with glee in the silliest of
circumstance.

You see we have two cats, a brother and sister. They were house cats whom we let out on
pretty days in the backyard. They were lazy around the chairs most of the time.  So anyway I went to call for them. “FONZIE, ALICE, TIME TO COME IN”. I waited a moment and then escalated the call with urgency, “TIME TO EAT”.


Alice came right away at the promise of food but Fonzie was yet to be found. I scoured the bushes and branches and all the nooks and crannies of the porch. No cat. So I went inside and got a can of tuna. Soon I am walking around the pool waving a can of tuna in the air hoping that Fonzie will get a whiff and come running. I keep calling. “FONZIE, TIME TO EAT”!

Not a meow to be heard and I am panicking all the way out my back yard, through the garage, down the alley, all over the neighbors yards, looking at the roofs and the side spaces, running and calling out until I get so winded I finally jump into my car and drive with my head halfway out the window. FONZIE….FONZIE. TIME TO EAT!”

Nothing.  I stop at my house and park and go once more into the backyard. I can hear the choke in my throat as I cry out,“FONZIE.  FONZIE. FONZIE.”

I need to pick up my children in five minutes and I am out of options. I look under and over all the chairs and finally exhausted and broken-hearted I fall to my knees in the dampness of the grass.

I bow to the God Who can save me from disaster of having 'lost the cat'.  I prostrate myself before the God of forgiveness and redemption. My eyes are  closed. I am surrendering to the God of Mercy. I am praying from the depths of  my soul. I trust in God I am not afraid. I trust in God I am not afraid. I open my eyes and see two cat eyes staring back at me. Yes. Two cat eyes only seen  because I prostrated myself before the Lord..........Talk about the power of  prayer and I shouted out loud, “THANK GOD! THANK GOD! THANK GOD!” 
 
©  2012 Nancy Reuben Greenfield