Father's Day Message/Our Lives Matter

 Dear Friends,


I thought I was done with blogs for the summer, but I was leading a service at a senior facility yesterday to celebrate the Festival of Shavuot on a day when we remember our loved ones,  I had a revelation I wanted to share.  I guess this is appropriate on the Festival of Shavuot when we celebrate the revelation at Mt. Sinai.

As we remembered our loved ones yesterday and as I think about my father on this Father's Day weekend, I have often been conflicted by the recitation of the following Psalm at funerals and memorial services. 

Psalm  103:13-16
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the LORD has compassion for those who fear Him. ׃ 
For He knows how we are formed;
He is mindful that we are dust.
Man, his days are like those of grass;
he blooms like a flower of the field; 
 a wind passes by and it is no moro
its own place no longer knows it.


 My father, of blessed memory, did not like this reading.  I have hesitated to read it but yesterday it was part of the prayer book I was asked to use.

As I was reading it, I realized why Dad didn't like it.  I beleive that he didn't want to feel that no one would remember his life and that somehow he would be forgotten..

So...Dad, wherever  you  are, I want you to know that  your life mattered and you are remembered.  Everytime I play catch with one of our children or a grandchild, or everytime I play in my adult baseball leagues and the ball hits the glove, I remember you.  I hear your  voice saying, "watch your stride" or "watch your grip on the ball" or "follow through"and I realize that this is more than just baseball wisdom.  These words can be a guide for living as well.

And as I remember my father-in-law of blessed memory, I remember him also for many  reasons.  The most special is that when we would gather together for a meal, he would say, "Let's All Say Baruch"  (Let's all say a blessing).  

Through small acts of kindness, through a simple smile, through a supportive word, we can add blessing to the lives of others and hopefully enhance our own lives.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads reading this and I hope all of us have special memories which we can share with our loved ones about our dads.

B'shalom,

Rabbi Bruce Aft

  

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