A Soulful Journey

  Here’s an interesting take on the preciousness of relationships:   Whenever my husband, Ben, does minor work on the car, he invites our 6-year-old grandson, Jake, to help.   One day Jake’s dad asked him, “What does Grandpa pay you for all that help you give him?”   “Grandpa pays me attention.”   Look into the eyes of someone you care about. They will tell you what you need to know. 

Rabbi Meir used to give public sermons every Friday evening. A certain women, who enjoyed his lectures greatly, attended regularly. One evening, his sermon was especially long and when the woman returned home she found her house dark and her husband angrily standing at the door. “Where have you been?” he shouted at her. "To hear the rabbi preach," the woman replied. ”Since the rabbi’s preaching has pleased you so much,” the husband said, “I vow that you will not enter this house until you have spat in his eyes. That is his reward for the entertainment he has given you,” he added sarcastically. The husband barred the doorway and refused to allow his wife to enter. The strongest woman went to live with a neighbor. When word of the incident reached Rabbi Meir he sent for the woman. Pretending to have pain in both his eyes, the rabbi asked her if she knew of a cure for his illness. The simple woman nervously said, “No.” “Spit seven times in my eyes,” said the Rabbi, “perhaps that...

Many people approach marriage like the 4-year-old boy whose parents brought home from the hospital a new brother.  The mother said, "Here is your baby brother that you said you wanted." The young lad stepped back and said, "Yes." The mother pressed, "You said you wanted him.  Now what do you have to say?" The 4-year-old thought for a moment and then said, "I have changed my mind." Children can do that but a loving relationship means working through the hard times.

"Marriage is a great institution but I'm not ready for an institution yet." -Mae West We all need to love - to give and receive it makes life meaningful.  But love cannot be forced or made to fit.

"By all means get married.  If you find a good wife, you will be the happiest man on earth.  If you find a bad wife, you will become a philosopher-- and that is still good."  -unknown Navigating life is not easy.  Relationships present issues that need to be faced and resolved.  The good news is everyone faces them.  The better news is that for thousands of years people have done the same before you and they succeeded.

True community does not come into being because people have feelings for each other, but rather on two accounts: all of them have to stand in a living, reciprocal relationship to a single living center, and they have to stand in a living, reciprocal relationship to one another. — MARTIN BUBER

Sitting quietly, eating dinner together, walking on a path is a uniting experience.  It is what cements relationships.  The avoidance of people does the opposite.  Perhaps this is a wise warning to the hand-held computer generation. “Sociologists say that going to the movies is a bonding experience.  It probably has to do with the way your feet stick to the floor.”   - Robert Orben Wall Street Journal