Have a Little Faith-Babies

You're not going to tell me to stop and smell the roses, are you?
He chuckled. "Roses would smell better than this place."
Suddenly, out in the hall, I heard an infant scream, followed by a quick "shhh!" presumably from its mother. The Reb heard it, too.
"Now, that child," he said, "reminds me of something our sages taught. When a baby comes into the world, its hands are clenched, right? Like this?"
He made a fist.
"Why? Because a baby, not knowing any better, wants to grab everything, to say, 'The whole world is mine.'
"But when an old person dies, how does he do so? With his hands open. Why? Because he has learned the lesson."
What lesson? I asked.
He stretched open his empty fingers.
"We can take nothing with us."

Have a Little Faith-Sermon 1975

"A man seeks employment on a farm. He hands his letter of recommendation to his new employer. It reads simply, 'He sleeps in a storm.'
"The owner is desperate for help, so he hires the man.
"Several weeks pass, and suddenly, in the middle of the night, a powerful storm rips through the valley.
"Awakened by the swirling rain and howling wind, the owner leaps out of bed. He calls for his new hired hand, but the man is sleeping soundly.
"So he dashes off to the barn. He sees, to his amazement, that the animals are secure with plenty of feed.
"He runs out to the field. He sees the bales of wheat have been bound and are wrapped in tarpaulins.
"He races to the silo. The doors are latched, and the grain is dry.
"And then he understands. 'He sleeps in a storm.'
"My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of 'I could have, I should have.' We can sleep in a storm.
"And when it's time, our good-byes will be complete."

Have a Little Faith-Sermon 1958

"A little girl came home from school with a drawing she'd made in class. She danced into the kitchen, where her mother was preparing dinner.

" 'Mom, guess what?' she squealed, waving the drawing.
"Her mother never looked up.
" 'What?' she said, tending to the pots.
" 'Guess what?' the child repeated, waving the drawing.
" 'What? the mother said, tending to the plates. "
'Mom, you're not listening.'
" 'Sweetie, yes I am.' "
'Mom,' the child said, 'you're not listening with your eyes.'"

Have a Little Faith-Parents

After Mitch finishes the obligatory part of his Bar Mitzvah, he has a conversation with the rabbi-in front of his friends and family.
"When we spoke a few weeks ago, I asked you what you though about your parents. Do you remember?"
Sort of, I say.
"I asked if you felt they were perfect, or if they needed improvement. And do you remember what you said?"
I freeze.
"You said they weren't perfect, but..."
He nods at me. Go ahead. Speak.
But they don't need improvement? I say.
"They they don't need improvement," he says. "This is very insightful. Do you know why?"
No, I say.
More laughter.
"Because it means you are willing to accept people as they are. Nobody is perfect. Not even Mom and Dad. That's okay."

Have a Little Faith-Salesman

Excerpt for the day:
Besides, I saw religious customs as sweet but outdated, like typing with carbon paper. To be honest, the closest thing I had to a religious routine was visiting Reb. I had now seen him at work and at home, in laughter and in repose. I had seen him in Bermuda shorts.

I had also seen him more this one spring that I normally would in three years. I still didn't get it. I was one of those disappointing congregants. Why had he chosen me to be part of his death, when I had probably let him down in life?

We reached the door.
One more question, I said.
"One mooore," he sang, "at the doooor..."
How do you not get cynical?
He stopped.
"There is no room for cynicism in this line of work."
But people are so flawed. They ignore ritual, they ignore faith--they even ignore you. Don't you get tired of trying?
He studied me sympathetically. Maybe he realized what I was really asking: Why me?
"Let me answer with a story," he said. "There's this salesman, see? And he knocks on a door. The man who answers says, 'I don't need anything today.'
"The next day, the salesman returns.
"'Stay away,' he is told.
"The next day the salesman is back.
"The man yells, 'You again! I warned you!' He gets so angry, he spits in the salesman's face.
"The salesman smiles, wipes the spit with a handkerchief, then looks to the sky and says, 'Must be raining.'
"Mitch, that's what faith is. If they spit in your face, you say it must be raining. But you still come back tomorrow."
He smiled.
"So, you'll come back, too? Maybe not tomorrow..."
He opened his arms as if expecting an incoming package. And for the first time in my life, I did the opposite of running away.
I gave him a hug.

I'm Reading...Again

I've started to read...again. Don't get me wrong, I love to sit down with a book and lose myself in the pages, but I simply just don't have the time or energy to stay awake most of the time. Well that has changed this week. My mom bought me "Have A Little Faith" by Mitch Albom for my birthday and I have read it every spare minute that I've had.

Mitch Albom is one of my all-time favorite authors. He has written "Tuesdays with Morrie," "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," and "For One More Day." His books are incredible! Check them out! You won't be disappointed!

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Albom’s first nonfiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie, Have A Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an 82-year-old rabbi from Albom’s old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy.

Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he’d left years ago. Meanwhile, closer to his current home, Albom becomes involved with a Detroit pastor – a reformed drug dealer and convict – who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof.

Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Mitch observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi, embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat.

As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Mitch and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times. Although the texts, prayers and histories are different, Albom begins to realize a striking unity between the two worlds - and indeed, between beliefs everywhere.

In the end, as the rabbi nears death and a harsh winter threatens the pastor’s wobbly church, Albom sadly fulfills the last request and writes the eulogy. And he finally understands what both men had been teaching all along: the profound comfort of believing in something bigger than yourself.

Have a Little Faith is a book about a life’s purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man’s journey, but it is everyone’s story.

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Anyway, I wanted to start sharing a few passages that I found in "Have A Little Faith" because they touched me.

"I wondered, now that his days were dwindling, how important ritual still was.
'Vital,' he said.
But why? Deep inside, you know your convictions.
'Mitch,' he said, 'faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.'"

Dear School and New Shoes

November can be over already. Is that pathetic to say only 3 days into it? Today I was reviewing my November calendar and I realized that every single one of my weekends has been consumed by someone. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?! It's extremely disheartening to realize that I don't have a day off or a day to myself until December.

Additionally, I wish it were Thanksgiving already and I could say that I only had one more week of classes. Better yet, I wish it were December and I was done with school for the year.

Dear School,

I hate you.

Love,
Me

*Sigh* Alas, it's only November 3...one more month of school...oh well. It'll be over soon enough.

On a brighter note, Jason and I bought new running shoes last night! Both our running shoes started to fall apart the last few weeks-tearing our heels to shreds and stinking pretty bad (Jason). Jason got his last pair of shoes on his mission, so it was definitely time to replace those stinky suckers. I wish I could let you smell Jason's shoes but honestly I think you'd die. It's like nothing I've ever smelled before.

Jason purchased these handsome and most awesome of Asics running shoes:
And I found a sweet clearance model of Asics:
The best part about the whole thing was that we got a stellar deal. Famous Footwear does a buy one get one half off deal, we we did that and then I had a $10 off coupon! Yay cheap and awesome shoes!

I Never Get Sick of Sushi

Last night was great! My family came up for my birthday dinner at Tona (sushi) and then stayed for cake and a little Wii time. I never get sick of sushi. It's always a welcome companion.

The whole night was a blast! I have to admit, I don't think I've ever been so full though...sickly full...I'm still full...and it's Sunday!