One Day at a Time

As I write these words, the bone-chilling cold seems to have eased up. My cat, transfixed by a couple of birds visiting a hanging basket (noticeably worse for the wear), was making some funny chirpy noises I had not noticed before. (Note to self: time to nurture a few plants and soak in the beautiful light.)

Tu B’shvat , birthday of the trees, will come around in a couple of weeks. The birdsong is most comforting amidst the bare branches – the world invites us to look beyond ourselves.

Daybreak’s Annual Sleep-out is coming. You all know that – thanks to the dedicated efforts of Laura and David Ilan (other shul folks who have regularly volunteered include Jo Huskey and Jeff Lehman. My apologies for leaving anyone out.) – our shul has maintained a connection to Daybreak’s transformative and uplifting mission in Macon. Please visit this fundraising link and participate in a bit of local Tikkun Olam (mending the world):

https://depaulusa.networkforgood.com/projects/244815-aaron-rubinstein-s-fundraiser

There’s plenty of strife and hurt out there, in zip codes near and far away. Some of the sadness is too painful for people to speak about. We find ourselves mute, overwhelmed. I hope we don’t allow ourselves to become emotionally calloused. We can’t fix everything, but we can do something, and no mitzvah is insignificant. Enough said.

Two calendar items to circle:

(1) Shul Super Bowl: Fun stuff — in addition to the game. Worth your while!

(2) Purim: Thursday Night, March 13. You know, dinner, shpiel, Megillah, shalach manot goodies. Don’t miss it!