Eat Bread!

So, firstly, I apologize that this is coming after Shabbat, but I had to work this Shabbat for a freshman retreat, so I may or may not have had the time to take a moment for myself until now...

Eating Bread. Food. It is what makes our Jewish world go 'round, no?

The first thing I thought of when I received this principle was my grandmother who lives in Israel. She is one of the rocks of my family and has suffered more than any person should throughout her 80 something years of life.

I want to share a short story about my grandmother...

I remember when I was younger feeling it was strange that my grandmother made a bracha over bread but not on any other food - Baruch Atah Adonai, Elohainu Melech Haolam Hamotzi Lechem Meen Ha'aretz - the words we hear and say ourselves what seems on a regular basis. I asked my father why this was the case with his mother. You see, my grandmother is a Holocaust survivor. She survived Auschwitz and the struggles of not having food for weeks, specifically, bread. I learned that from the day she was liberated, she always, but always would say the Hamotzi because bread was the one thing in life she would never take for granted again.

Everytime I say the Hamotzi I think of my grandmother and what strong woman she is and how that is an inspiration for me to fight for what I want and to cherish those people and things around me that mean the most to me, afterall, we never know what can happen tomorrow.

This week, I want you all to grab a piece of bread, let it be your favorite even, either by yourself or with a friend or family member and say the Hamotzi. The difference this time around, I want you to think what is it in life that you cherish and tend to take for granted and vow for this week to make more of an effort to achnowledge it, whatever or whoever it may be. If it is a friend or loved one, tell them they are valued. If it be an activity you enjoy taking part in, then do it! Love it and remember that it may be gone tomorrow. Remind yourself what inspires you most!

I want to end with one of my favorite quotes that I love..."You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying too much about the future."

Think in the now and live in the moment...