Finally occurred. First community event. Join Me had a table at a regional Peace Festival. The project was blank puzzle pieces and attendees were asked to document, by drawing or words, what they are willing to do to create more peace. Oh the experience was phenomenal!
Our youngest was 2. Scribbled saying “heart”. Took it. One young man said peace was “a roof over his head”. He’s been homeless for several months. It was a varied group, Muslim, LGBTQ, military, Black businesses, families, teens… Exciting and the puzzle pieces were as varied.
Lots of people came over after seeing the lines. Success. I learned a long time ago that activities drive your message home. I was asked to participate in two other festivals, will wait for the email information to decide. People who I used to work with in the community came by for hugs and updates. Business cards and Join Me mission paperwork exchanged.
Two volunteers helped make the day workable, an issue I have to maneuver since I’m now dealing with working with a disability. There were more successes than problems. Yay!!!
My dear sister-in-law brought me a gift yesterday, a handmade stained glass dream catcher. Isn’t she talented? I am amazed at what all she creates. She crochets some of the most intricate patterns I’ve seen. And she gladly gives.
We met back up on Facebook after both leaving the brothers that joined us. She has given me a lot of hours more than what she signed onto when she became one of my personal assistants, several years ago. This is just one example.
So, I’m going to honor this gift by working on catching my dream. It is so nice to have a beautiful reminder. Thank you, Terry!
A new strategy. I just put out a request for my social media friends to give me 5 minutes to listen to my elevator pitch for Join Me at the Table. It will give me practice and maybe they will know someone who needs to hear it, too.
How many people are feeling like i am right now? Needing peace, a calm but are worried that every calm just is felt right before the storm?
It seems like the storms are everywhere. Families, social media, neighborhoods, in our own heads. Storms everywhere.
I decided that, for today, social media is on a hiatus, a much needed break. I can wait to know what devious acts are coming down from Washington. I can find out on Monday who got drunk tonight. I normally can even not care about what everyone is having for dinner. Unless I want the recipe, or the store where they bought it. Today it is flowers and garden growth.
I needed to see this interpretation of the Jewish faith’s understanding of the afterlife. I had read that “rest in peace” or “rest in power” were inappropriate, but was left wanting for something to feel. Then I saw this…
“There’s a few posts going around reminding folks that since RBG is Jewish, the proper thing to say about her passing is “May her memory be for blessing,” which is true, but I wanted to add a bit of perspective on what that means.
Jewish tradition does not focus on the afterlife. There are a few thoughts on what happens when we go, some of which look a bit like reincarnation, and some of which looks like time to reevaluate our actions and relationships on earth, but for the most part, the whole “Do good things, get good reward from God; do bad things, get bad punishment from God” is just not part of our worldview. (Spoiler alert: this is why I love The Good Place so much- the final season feels very in line with Jewish thoughts on the afterlife.)
When Jews speak of righteousness, it is never with the idea of an eternal reward. We work to be good humans to others and ourselves because justice and peace are their own rewards. We don’t know what happens next, but we know what happens here, and that is enough. The pursuit of justice is one of the highest callings of Judaism, and it should not be misinterpreted as vengeance or punishment. The ideas of justice and sustainability are inextricably linked in Judaism. A system that is unjust cannot sustain, and a system that is unsustainable cannot be just.
It is said that a person who passes on Rosh Hashona is a Tzedek/Tzaddeket, a good and righteous person. When we speak of tzedakah, the word is often translated as “charity” but it is more accurate to say righteousness. Tzedakah can take many forms (including monetary donation) but it’s important to note that tzedakah is not a benevolent contribution given to be kind or nice to those who need it, it is to be viewed as a balancing of the scales, an active working towards justice. To use a simple example, one should donate to the local food bank not to gain favor with God, or to be nice to those with less than ourselves, but because it is unjust for anyone to be without food, especially while others have plenty. Correcting injustice, balancing the scales, evaluating the distribution of power and creating equity is tzedakah, the work of righteousness.
Similar to Maslow’s (imperfect) hierarchy of needs, Maimonides wrote in the Middle Ages of eight levels of Tzedakah, the highest of which results in self sufficiency, or rather, an act that creates a sustainable form of justice. “Teaching a man to fish” is an extremely reductionist view of this idea, but it’s a start- the real meat of it is the idea that charity is good, but eliminating the need for charity is better. (i.e. Tax the billionaires so we can have universal healthcare instead of praising the rich for building hospitals with their names on them.)
The second highest form is where both the giver and the receiver are unknown to each other. This allows both for the dignity of the recipient, and for the giver to be free from personal motivation and reward. In other words, we should help create a more just world for the benefit of people we don’t know, without the expectation of praise, gratitude, or reward, in this life or the next.
When we say that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a tzaddeket (the feminine form of tzaddik) we don’t just mean she was a nice person. What we’re saying is that she was a thoughtful person who worked tirelessly to create a more just world. One that would perpetuate equality and access, one that wasn’t reliant on charity, one that was better for people she did not know, without the expectation of praise or fame. THAT is what it means to be a Tzaddeket, and I can’t think of anyone who better embodies the pursuit of justice.
When we say “may her memory be for blessing” the blessing we speak of is not “may we remember her fondly” or “may her memory be a blessing to us” the blessing implied is this: May you be like Ruth. Jewish thought teaches us that when a person dies, it is up to those who bear her memory to keep her goodness alive. We do this my remembering her, we do this by speaking her name, we do this by carrying on her legacy. We do this by continuing to pursue justice, righteousness, sustainability.
So when you hear us say “May her memory be for blessing” don’t hear “It’s nice to remember her”– hear “It’s up to us to carry on her legacy.” When you hear us say, “She was a Tzaddeket” don’t hear “She was a nice person”– hear “She was a worker of justice.”
May her memory be for blessing. May her memory be for revolution. May we become a credit to her name.
*special thanks to the linguists and Hebrew speakers in the comments section who helped me out!
When I was a starry-eyed teen, I envisioned myself crafting a woman who appeared as the 2nd person. I thought I would be surrounded by people who loved and lived a life full of peace and purpose. I saw art as a key component, and sunshine, lots of sunshine.
Then life got in the way and I got sidetracked. I got sullen and the stars turned to lasers, sometimes. I saw peace as a fight, instead of a calming experience. I let others take control.
After many tries, more delays, speedbumps…it’s finally done!
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I wanted a way to make a contribution, again. This is it.
Now to advertise. And get out of my own way. Now that it’s finished I am thinking that its just an entry level attempt even though the editor said it helped her reading it. I need to hear that and move forward.
What is inside me is stronger than what’s in my way.
Performing with three strings. 