Gratitude

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

 

Yael & Leora celebrating Shabbat at camp.

Tomorrow Yael comes home. This camp experience has been truly transformative for her & for me. We have both learned such meaningful life lessons in our time apart. I know that the girl who will come home to me tomorrow, will not be the same girl that I kissed goodbye 3 & 1/2 weeks ago. My heart is so full of pride & joy, that sometimes I feel as if it will truly burst. I am grateful to Camp Coleman, to its Director Bobby Harris & his wife Ellen Zucrow. I am grateful to the staff that looked after and nurtured my Yael. I am grateful to the girls who opened up their hearts and befriended her

I am also grateful to God…

For the strength that it took to let her go~Thank you.

For the insight & clarity that allowed me to separate my fears from hers~Thank you.

For the care & compassion of those to whom I entrusted her~Thank you.

For the acceptance with which she was met~Thank you.

For each time that she faced down her fears & emerged victorious~Thank you.

For the chance to be reminded that the Jewish community can be a place of inclusion~Thank you.

For every smile & moment of laughter that she experienced~captured in a photo so that I can experience it too~Thank you.

For the growth & maturity that is sure to come with this time away from home~Thank you.

For the friends that she made, who touched her life and whose lives she touched~Thank you.

For allowing optimism & hope to quiet the voices of fear & anxiety~Thank you.

For the memories that we will both carry with us & the stories that are etched onto our hearts~Thank you.

And thank you God, for enabling us both to stand on the edge, close our eyes and simply take a “leap of faith.” Because, even though there may be times that we fall… this summer has shown us both how far & how high we can  soar… if we just believe it is possible.

Yael and her bunkmates~sharing a wonderful summer at camp

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is “thank you”, it will be enough (Meister Eckhart)

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