Christian Reflection and Prayer

It was the day before Thanksgiving ­ the first one
my three children and I would be spending without
their father, who had left several months before.
Now the two older children were very sick with the
flu, and the eldest had just been prescribed bed
rest for a week.

It was a cool, gray day outside, and a light rain
was falling. I grew wearier as I scurried around,
trying to care for each child: thermometers, juice,
diapers. And I was fast running out of liquids for
the children. But when I checked my purse, all
I found was about $2.50 ­ and this was supposed
to last me until the end of the month. That's when
I heard the phone ring.

It was the secretary from our former church, and
she told me that they had been thinking about us
and had something to give us from the
congregation. I told her that I was going out to
pick up some more juice and soup for the children,
and I would drop by the church on my way to the
market.

I arrived at the church just before lunch. The church
secretary met me at the door and handed me a
special gift envelope. "We think of you and the kids
often," she said, "and you are in our hearts and
prayers. We love you." When I opened the envelope,
I found two grocery certificates inside. Each was
worth $20. I was so touched and moved, I broke
down and cried.

"Thank you very much," I said, as we hugged each
other. "Please give our love and thanks to the
church." Then I drove to a store near our home and
purchased some much-needed items for the children.

At the check-out counter I had a little over $14.00
worth of groceries, and I handed the cashier one of
the gift certificates. She took it, then turned her back
for what seemed like a very long time. I thought
something might be wrong. Finally I said, "This gift
certificate is a real blessing. Our former church gave
it to our family, knowing I'm a single patent trying to
make ends meet."

The cashier then turned around, with tears in her
loving eyes, and replied, "Honey, that's wonderful!
Do you have a turkey?"

"No. It's okay because my children are sick anyway."

She then asked, "Do you have anything else for
Thanksgiving dinner?"

Again I replied, "No."

After handing me the change from the certificate,
she looked at my face and said, "Honey, I can't tell
you exactly why right now, but I want you to go back
into the store and buy a turkey, cranberry sauce,
pumpkin pie or anything else you need for a
Thanksgiving dinner."

I was shocked, and humbled to tears. "Are you
sure?" I asked.

"Yes! Get whatever you want. And get some
Gatorade for the kids."

I felt awkward as I went back to do more shopping,
but I selected a fresh turkey, a few yams and
potatoes, and some juices for the children. Then I
wheeled the shopping cart up to the same cashier
as before. As I placed my groceries on the counter,
she looked at me once more with giant tears in her
kind eyes and began to speak.

"Now I can tell you. This morning I prayed that I
could help someone today, and you walked through
my line." She reached under the counter for her
purse and took out a $20 bill. She paid for my
groceries and then handed me the change. Once
more I was moved to tears.

The sweet cashier then said, "I am a Christian.
Here is my phone number if you ever need anything.
" She then took my head in her hands, kissed my
cheek and said, "God bless you, honey."

As I walked to my car, I was overwhelmed by this
stranger's love and by the realization that God loves
my family too, and shows us his love through this
stranger's and my church's kind deeds.

The children were supposed to have spent
Thanksgiving with their father that year, but
because of the flu they were home with me, for a
very special Thanksgiving Day. They were feeling
better, and we all ate the goodness of the Lord's
bounty ­ and our community's love. Our hearts
were truly filled with thanks.

For my Beloved Child,

MY OATH TO YOU...

When you are sad... I will dry your tears.
When you are scared... I will comfort your fears.
When you are worried... I will give you hope.
When you are confused... I will help you cope.
And when you are lost... And can't see the light.
I shall be Your beacon... Shining ever so bright
This is My oath... I pledge till the end.
Why you may ask?... Because you're My friend.

Love,
God

(GodVine)

Scripture:

“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good
is the birthright to me?” — Genesis 25:32

This passage is priceless. It shows us the horrible
consequences of instant gratification. The allure of
the here and now is blinding. As observers, we can
see the foolishness of Esau’s decision. He
sacrificed his entire future for a few moments of
pleasure. But then again, we do that all of the time.

Who hasn’t been in this situation? After just
deciding to diet, you are suddenly accosted by a
piece of chocolate cake (or vanilla, if you aren’t a
chocolate fan). What do you do? You can eat the
cake, enjoy it for ten minutes max, and then pay
for it tomorrow when you get on the scale. Or, you
can push the cake away and feel deprived for a few
moments, reaping the benefits when the pounds
slip away. We all know the right thing to do. But
my guess is that many of us might eat that cake
anyway. We too often sacrifice the future for the
sake of the moment.

The simple example of cake is much like the
bigger struggle we encounter in our daily lives.
We are constantly faced with decisions that come
down to what feels good in the moment and what’
s better for us in the long term. We have to choose
between what feels good for our temporal body and
what’s truly nourishing for our eternal spirit. This
week’s Torah reading reminds us that while it’s
hard to adapt to the long-term view of life, it doesn’t
make any sense to live any other way. The here
and now is nothing compared to eternity.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein