I took a long bike ride and finished with sore knees. Maybe I’m not 18 years old any longer. All I had to do was give my body some time and my knees feel better. Magic! Today I am grateful for a body which heals itself, most of the time and from most injuries. Why […]
Finding the Good - Gratitude
I have been studying mussar a bit at my congregation. Mussar is a Jewish spiritual path of study and the word means moral conduct, instruction, or discipline. The “study units” are called middot and each middah (middah is the singular of the Hebrew plural word middot) is an aspect of the soul. The challenge is to get every aspect of your soul in balance, neither neglected nor over-indulged.
Recently, we studied the middah of hakarat hatov which is generally translated as “gratitude.” I like the literal translation better, though. It means “finding the good” or “recognizing the good.” There is already good in my life. My task is to see it. Once I find the good, having an attitude of gratitude is much easier.
This section of my blog is a personal project to recognize the good in my life, every day. Maybe you will feel drawn to join me in your own way. You could add a comment to one of my posts. Or you could find the good in your own life and recognize it in a way which speaks to your soul.
Finding the Good: Cool Mornings
August was stupidly hot here in Saint Louis. I spent almost the entire month either in my home with the windows closed and the air conditioning on, or outside sweating rivers. This morning, it is 61 degrees outside, the windows are open, and there is a gentle breeze blowing past my bare feet as I […]
Finding the Good: Family
Today I am grateful for my family. I have a wife, sons, grandchildren, daughters and sons in law, and cousins. I have had parents, step-parents, grandparents, ancestors, and a brother; may their souls all be for blessings. We get along well, which is not to say that we have not had our moments ?, but […]
