Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the women who have made a difference in someone else's life!  In my life I am very lucky not only to have a fantastic mother, but also a wide circle of women who have influenced me throughout the years and have been like another mother to me in my journey through life. 

In honor of my own mother, I will say that my mom has stuck by me through thick and thin and has supported me even when she thought I was nuts and has continued to do so despite the fact that I live on another continent and our time zones are 10 hours apart. This means she gets calls when she is just getting up or going to bed, calls when I am rushed to get ready for Shabbat and she is heading out the door or e-mails full of complaints about the small annoyances of daily life. And through it all my mom has listened, supported, sympathized and empathized and even on occasion offers some helpful suggestions..... :)  In return I still get e-mails, telling me to "go to bed!  It's too late to be e-mailing," "did you remember your to make your doctor's appointment?" "did you remember to take your vitamin?"  and so on.  Instead of annoying me, I love these e-mails, because it is a reminder of how close I am to mom despite my age and the physical distance between us.

However, I am also lucky to have an amazing mother-in-law, another Woman of Valor, in my life who also checks up on me, reminds me to take care of myself, sleep right, eat right and so on, just in case my own mom missed something! Her sweet heart and caring nature make her a fantastic person and very loving mother, grandmother and mother-in-law, she is truly an asset to our family and I am probably the only person who looks forward to seeing my in-laws twice a year.

Because I have so many women in my life that I love truly, I will finish with my aunt. My aunt, mother's oldest sister has been a huge influence in the life of my sister and I. Although she lived quite a distance from us, we saw her every year, she asked how school was, new who are friends were and still does to this day. She comes to visit despite the challenges of traveling to Israel and has made an effort to get to know my kids, my friends and learn about my life.

I know many people who were not fortunate to have a mother in their life, but they had other women who provided that role model. I am fortunate to have a mother as well as many influential women in my life, who I hope to make proud.  Who are the women in your life? Have you remembered to thank them today? Whether it is your best friends mom, an aunt, a teacher, a boss, or even an older sister, these Women of Valor helped shape us and make us the brilliant women we are. Be sure to thank them today and everyday for helping you become the person you are! Don't forget to pat yourself on the back too, because out there someone is thinking of you and thanking you for the great person you are too! Stop by my gallery and you will find the perfect way to say, "Thank You," to the women who matter most.  Because sometimes a picture says it all!

Until next time, have  a good week!

When G-d Gives Us Challenges

Well it would seem that despite my best intentions I have had to take a small hiatus from the blog and work in general.  My goal has been to share my process of helping our family prepare for Lag B'Omer and Shavuot, however, as can often be found, G-d had another way of helping us prepare. For the past few weeks we have had construction going on as one of our neighbors is adding an expansion to their home.  So what does this have to do with Lag B'Omer and Shavuot?

In preparation for Shavuot and Lag B'Omer, the idea is to focus on how to improve our behavior and to focus on the miztvot (commandments) that G-d has given us. What I have discovered is that, at least for me, when I set out to improve myself, G-d makes sure that I have a challenge to do just that! In this case it is the construction. For three weeks we have been listening to a tractor dig through layers of stone wall, rock and dirt. Can I tell you how challenging it is NOT to speak badly about my neighbors that are doing the work, the construction workers who are doing the work and anyone else involved?  When we find that our life is disrupted it is so easy to just want to blame everyone and be angry at them. Lashon Hara ( literally evil speech) has been one of the key down falls for Jews throughout the centuries and in particularly during the time of the Second Temple.  So when venting my frustration which has unfortunately probably been more than I should, I have had to be very careful to remember that I am NOT angry with the neighbors, the construction workers and so on, but that I am just simply frustrated with the situation.

The second opportunity the construction has given me is the gift to appreciate Shabbat even more!  Shabbat on its own is a beautiful holiday and a wonderful mitzvot. Once the candles are lit for the next 24 hours I have no worries. Meals are already prepared, there are no phone calls to make and anything that did not get taken care of will wait until Sunday. Now I find that I can add the appreciation of peace and quiet to this holiday. We know that we will have no tractors and construction and that we as a family can appreciate Shabbat just that much more because of it.

I know that G-d wants his people to succeed,  but we cannot accomplish something without the work and challenge of it. I hope that as the construction continues and even long after the tractors have gone I will continue to remember that importance of staying away from Lashon Hara as well to continue to love Shabbos as much as I do now.   What are your goals to improve yourself? What challenges have you faced in accomplishing those goals? I would love hear from you and incorporate them into a future blog post.

Until next time..........Lihtraot!