Who is Actually Disabled?

 

Hanging Succah decorations

  This week in the Jewish calender it's the holiday of Succos - a time where we build something akin to  a hut and spend a week  there, (having our meas there, often sleeping there and generally spending time in it's holy walls)  both grounding our inspiration from the High Holidays while simultaneously creating a cocoon of spirituality to nurture us for the upcoming year. We call it a Honeymoon with G-d. This Succos we've had amazing meals, guests, and songs. At one meal we shared stories. Just before dessert, our friend Phil said "Did I ever tell you the story of my friend Matthew?"   Mathew was an only child and so he was like a third sibling to me and my brother. Our moms were friends and we grew up together. Mathew is shorter than average - although in his 20's he's only 4' 2". He's had multiple surgeries and struggles and he's the most incredible person I know. When  I needed to write down a list of people in my life who affected me, my friend Matt was on the top of the list. Matt is a huge Ravens fan, and one day last year, as it neared the Superbowl season Matt  found himself up earlier then usual. Spontaneously,in a generous stroke,  he penned a letter to the Ravens. It was a letter of encouragement where he shared his story and his strength. He sent it off to the standard contact info that was on the Raven's site. He had no idea what would become of it - he just wanted to put out a good word. Well, imagine his surprise when he got an email back from  the head of the Ravens! The coach said he had read the letter to all the players and it gave them  a tremendous boost. Next he received comments from various players. He was the hero of his heroes! Matt was invited to visit the players and to speak his great words directly to them - and the Ravens won the Superbowl! I'm not saying anything, but the Ravens continued to win from then on! Recently, just about a month ago Matt got signed with Leading Authorities. They're a speaking agency that's comprised of some of the TOP speakers today (among them Mitt Romney - to give you an idea). [I think that's his audition in the video]                                                                                                                      We're only limited by the belief that we have in ourselves. Every man, woman and child is a the expert on their life. And in that expertise we each have a unique wisdom to share . You always win by giving. Just keep on giving. Keep putting good words and deeds out there. Being yourself is enough. Stop comparing yourself to others. The exact person the world needs is YOU. The Only Disability is a Bad Attitude!

Can you share with me? What did this story and/or  speech mean to you?

 You can hear more of Matt ( a nice Jewish boy!) here.   Read more...

A Succos Movie You Will Love!

It's almost the end of the holiday of Succos and tonight we sat down to our annual Ushpizin movie. Ushpizin is a movie unlike any other that you've seen before. Set in Jerusalem ( yes, its in Hebrew with subtitles but trust me, it's worth it) its the story of a Hasidic childless penniless couple  full of humanity and overflowing with raw faith. The actors are actually Hasidim and the husband and wife portrayed are actually husband and wife. There are tons of cultural references but it all makes sense in a glorious way. ( And it's a great authentic Jewish education!) It's hard to describe how escaped convicts and a fruit play a major role in the movie and how you find yourself crying and laughing all at once. It's even harder to describe how clear all of life is after you see it. It's like a heart explosion! All of the teachings that are woven into the movie are Breslov. So if you fall in love with it as I did and are curious about more, you can check out this Breslov blog. In the meantime settle in, for a totally guilt free movie night and when you're done, share it with your friends! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgiCDDGdnv4   Read more...