A Soulful Journey

They that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength They shall mount up with wings as eagles  They shall run, and not be weary They shall walk and not faint. — ISAIAH 40:30

Hope is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all. — EMILY DICKENSON

"Come to the edge."  "No, we will fall." "Come to the edge," he urged.  "No, we're afraid we'll fall." "Come to the edge," he commanded. They came to the edge.  He pushed them and they flew. -Guillaume Appollinaire Sometimes we need that push to learn how to spread our wings and soar.

French poet Apollinaire wrote: Come to the edge No, we will fall, Come to the edge. No, we will fall. They came to the edge. He pushed them and they flew.

On a kitchen wall was a beautiful taxidermied seagull with its wings stretched as if in full flight. The wooden board on which the bird was mounted read, “Whenever I try to fly someone stands on my wings.”   R. Robert Cueni If you love some one let them fly. If you think you know better, it may be wise to keep quiet. Do not stifle someone else’s dreams.

I was privileged to attend a graduation ceremony for pilots in the Israel Air Force.   The Commanding Officer concluded his address with words which I shall never forget.   They were as follows: Ba-shamayim hagbihu uff; v’al ha-aretz hetzne’a lechet. “When in the air fly ever higher, while on land walk humbly.” What a great challenge to Jewish pilots - and people! -Rabbi Haskel Lookstein

A fictional story is told of a bird during the days of creation. This particular bird was created without wings and when it looked around at other birds soaring in the heavens it implored the Creator to allow it to fly. That night, whilst the bird was asleep, G–d affixedwings to its body. When the bird awoke and saw two new appendages to its body it said to G–d, “G–d, I asked you to make me fly, not to make me heavier.” G–d replied, “little bird, just flap them and you will see that you will fly.” The restrictions often seem like extra baggage but once we utilize them, they allow us to fly and soar into new heights. - Nissan Dubov

 Wilbur Wright wrote, “I confess that in 1901, I said to my brother Orville that man would not fly for fifty years…   Ever since, I have distrusted myself and avoided all predictions.”

Bernard Baruch was quoted as saying: A man sentenced to death obtained a reprieve by assuring the king he would teach his majesty’s horse to fly within the year, on the condition that if he didn’t succeed he would be put to death at the end of the year. “Within a year, the man explained later, “the king may die, or I may die, or the horse may die.   Furthermore, in a year, who knows?   Maybe the horse will learn to fly.” My philosophy is like that man’s. I take the long range view.” Take you time.   Any thing is possible. Do not give up. - Leonard Lyons, New York Post