I am indeed privileged. For many reasons. For this diary, i will speak of the privilege of being able to Serve. And where you can end up because of it.
Because of fortunate circumstances,and some fortunate choices,the last 20 plus years,i have devoted myself to serve where and when it is needed. Major catastrophes like New Orleans and Haiti were/are the exception. It is also the everyday occurrences we all live through that brings to us the opportunity to serve in different ways,each according to our abilities at the time,and the opportunities that open up to us.
For nearly a decade, i traveled in the heartland of America,except for yearly holidays with family,and the occasional trip,away from the major cities and coasts,which is where i'm accustomed.Many of these places are what i call the Family Dollar communities..where ones outer hope is based on landing a part-time job at the Walmart in the next town,50 miles away. The places that make me overwhelmed with gratitude at opportunities and options i have been given,or have recognized and taken. One of the services that i came to develop,because of the great need,..was detoxifying a brother or sister. Off of drugs like meth,crack and heroin.Of meals of ramen and soda pop, of cigs,of alcohol..when one fills their body with this toxic stew,they go mad.Their family is in turmoil.Their community suffers.So,many times,when someone is afflicted with this..and we deem each other sincere..an abode is located,usually many miles from town..the more remote the location,the better.Phone range is usually spotty at best. This is helpful,as it is not easy when things get hairy for the one going through the necessary chemical alterations to getting clean,and want to call for a ride or a fix,or to try to walk to civilization. Have healthy food on hand..veggies and fruit. No toxic nonsense around.And you don't/can't ask for financial assistance. Their well is dry..It lasts up to two weeks.
In one central California town,i had the opportunity to help cleanse three young people(under 30).They,or their families,belonged to a large fundamentalist Church.I had been there on occasion,when invited by a member to accompany them. The fellowship of this church was lovely..but the words of exclusion and separation against people of any and all other paths,of immigrants,of certain politicians..all made me sad and a little depressed. But not surprised.For a church who claims to be followers of Yeshua,Jesus..they were espousing the very opposite of the limited words that we have of this man. The bumper stickers on some of their cars and trucks had names and phrases that did little to belay the feeling of 'Oye' that this Yarmulke-wearing Jew from the 'bubbles' of Southern California,via New York and Miami, had.Mostly about the evils of immigration.
Years later,in Colorado,i detoxed a young sister. And,within a few weeks of putting her on a plane to return to her family,i received a call.From the head pastor of this very same church. It just so happens,that this dear child and her family were members there,..she had relayed what had happened,i was remembered by various members,and the pastor requested that i come there and speak to the congregation.Though we seemed as similar as Dems and Repubs..i knew we had much in common as well..like the welfare of the community.No other Jew had been asked to speak there.They would welcome me,and i was told,all 400 plus seats would be filled.I was honored.I accepted.What would i say?When invited to anothers' house,how could i speak my heart without insult?So, in mid-September, i drove to California with my dog Bella,and was welcomed.Here was what i said, learned from many a temple,ashram,church and heart:
" Hine ma tov u'ma-nayim Shevet ach-im gam ya-chad..
How good it is,and how pleasant,when we dwell together in unity.
Surrounded by the members of the community in which i have lived,i come before you eternal God.I share my happiness with them and it becomes greater.I share my troube with them and it seems smaller.May i never be too selfish to give,nor too proud to receive,for in giving and receiving i discover you..as i begin to discover the meaning of my life.
Let me not separate myself from the true strength of my community..the experience and wisdom of the elderly,the hopes of the young,and the examples of care and courage which sustain me.Give me an open heart and an open mind to welcome those who need me,and to receive your presence in my daily life.
I think of what our community and our world could be and the harmony that could unite us.I think of our loneliness and the friendships that could fill our lives.I think of the good that we could do if we were one in spirit.i know that this is your will and pray for your help.May i and those around me find our joy together,and Thank You for the power you give us to help each other.
Each of us enters this sanctuary with a different need..
Some hearts are full of gratitude and joy:
They are overflowing with happiness of love and the joy of life,are eager to confront the day,to make the world more fair,they are recovering from illness or have escaped misfortune..And we rejoice with them.
Some hearts ache with sorrow:
Disappointments weigh heavily upon them,and they have tasted despair;families have been broken,loved ones lie on a bed of pain,death has taken those whom they cherished..may our presence and sympathy bring them comfort.
Some hearts are embittered:
They have sought answers in vain;ideals are mocked and betrayed,life has lost its meaning and value..May the knowledge that we too are searching,restore their hope and give them courage to believe that not all is emptiness.
Some Spirits hunger:
They long for friendship,they crave understanding,they yearn for warmth..May we in our common need and striving gain strength from one another,as we share our joys,lighten each others burdens,and pray for the welfare of our community.
Happy is the one whose way is true,who walks in Your path,who seeks You with a whole heart.
Who secures justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry;Who sets free the captive and raises up the fallen,who protects the stranger and sustains the orphan.
It has been told to you what is good,and what the eternal God requires of you:
- Only to do justly,to love mercy,to walk humbly with your God.
- As God is merciful and gracious,so shall you be merciful and gracious.
-Let your neighbors property be as dear as your own.And let your neighbors honor be as dear as your own.
You shall NOT oppress a stranger,for your ancestors were all at some point and at some time strangers in a new land..Mine were strangers in the land of Eygpt..and arriving at Ellis Island.
The strangers who live among you shall be to you as the home-born,and you shall love them as yourself.
You shall not rejoice when your enemy falls,you shall not exult when your enemy stumbles.You shall not hate another in your heart,but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
God desires love and not sacrifices,the knowledge of love rather than burnt offerings.
Eternal God:
Who may abide in your house?
Who may dwell in your holy mountain?
Those who do not slander others,nor wrong them,nor bring shame upon their kin.Who give their word and,come what may,do not retract.
Who do not exploit others,who never take bribes.
Who protects and stands like a shield in front of the weak and the stranger against any and all predatory behavior.
Of all paths.For Goodness sake.
Those who live in this way shall never be shaken.
O' Source of light and truth,Creator of the eternal law of goodness,and of the impulse within us for justice and mercy,we pray that these hours of worship may be one of vision and inspiration.Help us find knowledge by which to live;lead us to take the words we shall speak into our hearts and our lives.
Bless all who enter this sanctuary in search and in need,all who bring to this place the offering of their hearts.May our worship here lead us to fulfill our words and intentions with acts of kindness,peace and love. Shalom.Amen."
I was warmly received,and ate in five different homes in the two days i was there.Before i returned to my home in Colorado,i drove to the embrace of my family a few hundred miles,and many light years,down south. Where i ate many vegetarian variations of Jewish classics,and went with my 89 year-old spitfire of a Mother and best friend, to many a museum,show and temple,when once she leaned over to tell me of this wonderful New York Jewish Socialist named Bernie..'Have you heard of him?"