Tonight is my birthday.
A birthday is a time of reflection and cheshbon hanefesh. Rare is the person who changes opinions or behaviors later in life but a birthday is a great time to ask yourself if you are on the right path and what requires improvement, tweaking, change, enhancement, more focus, less focus etc. Or it is a time to eat cake and receive presents. Since I don't eat cake nor do I receive presents [I instructed my wife not to buy me anything - what can be a better present than being alive for another year and having a wife, children, grandchildren, parents and a guzzillion other brachos EVERY SECOND], I am going to try bl"n to do the former.
I am considering *growing up* but at 52 I am not sure I am ready. Since it won't hurt me in shidduchim either way, I have little incentive 😊😊😊. כי נער ישראל ואוהבהו - Hashem loves Klal Yisrael when we remain young and vibrant like a נער and not old and sleepy. We should be childlike but not childish. We should have the enthusiasm and excitement of a young person with the wisdom and maturity of an older person. [The periods of youth and adulthood is an important topic beyond the scope of this post].
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the רבונו של עולם for his endless brachos
ואילו פינו מלא שירה כים
ולשוננו רינה כהמון גליו
ושפתותינו שבח כמרחבי רקיע
ועינינו מאירות כשמש וכירח
וידינו פרושות כנשרי שמיים
ורגלינו קלות כאיילות
אין אנחנו מספיקים להודות לפניך
ה' אלוקינו ואלוקי אבותינו
ולברך את שמך מלכנו
על אחת מאלף אלפי אלפים
וריבי רבבות פעמים הטובות
ניסים ונפלאות שעשית עם אבותינו ועמנו.
I would also like to thank my beloved friends, readers of the blog and listeners of the shiurim, for enhancing my life in more ways that you know.
With much love and brachos to all for אריכות ימים ושנים and אך טוב וחסד כל ימי חייכם,
Me 😊😊😘😄😄
