I prefaced the news with, “It is up to us to fight with the opposite of hate and racism. We have to fight with love and tolerance.” The seven year old put his hands in his ears and said, “This is boring. La, la, la.” After I told him why I was sharing this message with him, his loud scream of a prolonged, “Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” reminded me of the Tekiyah Gedolah shofar blast heard during Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year.
Much like the alarm of the shofar blast, today is a day to heed the alarm. We must not meet hate with anger, but with love, tolerance, and acceptance. The best way to confront a bully is to let him know that his fears are heard.
To quote an amazing woman, “When they go low, we go high.”
I choose the higher path, so that I may be an example for our children. I mourn what was lost, and yes, I am fearful. I cannot, however, allow my amazing, beautiful, pure of heart children to see despair. Through my own tears, I will rise above.
אלהי נשמה שנתת בי טהורה היא
“The soul which HaShem gave me is pure.”
For their sake, and for the sake of all of us, I will go high.
Hydrangeas Are pretty 