My Savta was a WARRIOR

Dear God,

I wonder if she was afraid,

As she stood aboard the ship,

Packed to the capacity with children,

Being rescued from a blood stained land.

I wonder if she tiptoed over to the ledge,

And waved goodbye with her little hand.

Watch over her! her maman had said,

To the boy closest in line.

Protect her from those who wish to harm,

I will, as if she is a sister of mine.

And he smiled at her with a brotherly charm.

I wonder if she cried,

In that gloomy orphanage alone in France.

Awakened by bombs nightly,

I wonder if in the bomb shelters she did dance.

Did she think she’ll see her parents again??

Or was that a thought her memory condemned?

Was she ecstatic to be on the way to the holy land?

After just a year in France, luck stroke that little hand.

A bunch of children, including her new brother,

Were to be sent to a farm in the holy land Israel.

Where the Jewish people could be free,

Not persecuted for religion or ethnicity.

As the years past and she worked the land,

Did she often look at her growing hand,

And wonder if to her mother she’d wave again?

She spent her time dancing,

Of that I’m sure.

Dancing was something she always did,

No matter what trials or tribulations were in store.

Dear god,

When her parents arrived to the holy land,

Rescued by you, the almighty king of all.

Did she fall to her knees in gratitude?

Was her smile as bright as a sunlit sky?

When she was 17 she chose to teach,

I inherited her skill, a love to preach.

As she sang the Hebrew alphabet to young orphaned children

Did she see pain in their war struck eyes?

Knowing their parents no longer among them?

Dear god,

After she wed and had a family of her own,

Did she constantly fear the safety of her home?

For she often moved from place to place,

Until they moved overseas.

Leaving the holy land is heartbreaking,

But 9 children are hard to feed.

50 years to teaching she dedicated,

To help grow the minds of the young.

Her students sing her praises to this day.

I wonder, was that something her little hand anticipated?

The Nazis tried to wipe the Jews out,

But thank god they did fail!

And my grandmother is their biggest revenge.

She could have raged and cried for years,

Drowning with sadness and tears.

For losing a childhood rightfully her own,

Being separated from her family, no love, no home.

If you would have met her,

You would have never known.

Her aura was content,

Eyes bursting with song.

Her kitchen always full of aromatic smells,

Her Energy so full of life!

A Dedicated mother teacher and wife.

She showed them those Nazis!

Unbearable hardships our warrior did face,

But you would never know.

Because she still danced.

Our warrior is no longer among us,

Passed away just a year ago.

I saw her a week before,

And although her body no longer strong,

I looked into her eyes and saw the song.

And I too danced.

A few minor details have been changed to respect my family's wishes

Be The Change

When it comes down to it,
We are all the same.
Humans trying to adult,
while masking our past hurts and pain.
Struggling to cover our bills of this materialistic life.
Doing our best at our roles, Mothers, Fathers, Husband,& Wife.
if we are so alike
why then,
do we treat each other with bitterness and strife?
Focusing on wrong dramatic things,
only pain and negativity do such conflicts bring.
What am i trying to convey?
What is my message i wish to share today?
well if are like,
Just brothers and sisters trying to reach our goals.
Shouldn't we spend our time trying to help each other out?
To mend the broken? Keep our loved ones whole?
Instead of blaming others for problems you face,
Try that ill mindset to erase.
The state of your life is dependent,
on the state of your mind.
Try to rememeber that next time,
Harsh words are quick to slip out of your mouth.
Or in a moment of frustration you are quick to shout.
Get your emotions in check,
Realize, its ok if today you feel a bit wrecked.
But dont' let your energy corrupt your soul.
Focus on the good,
Tomorrow will be better.
For all you have be grateful,
Your blessing treasure.
We all doing our best,
at passing life's tests.
lets hold hands together,
In Unity we can make the world better!<3

Loss

The pain of losing someone we love is indescribable.
Loss isn't something one naturally understands or has empathy for.
Until loss is something we endure.

Last year today,
I experienced a heart wrenching loss.
Ironically unlike today,
I remember the weather being perfectly bright.
The suns rays shining thru the canopy of trees, blossoming with new life.

And then, just like that,
I received a small notification on a family chat group.
Just one small word,
Enough to let me know she was gone.

My beloved savta,
A woman who was a true queen,
Greatest teacher, both to her children and students.
 She was full of life and happiness.
I have fond memories of her always dancing,
Everything she did was with passion and love.
And a beat in her step.
Doesn't matter if it was her signature pasta dish she was creating or simply tidying up her home.
She had a energy that would fill you with joy, simply for being near her.

Last year today, she left this world.
My initial reaction was sadness and anger for my loss.
I didn't understand how all those prayers didn't help her recover from the cancer she so bravely fought for too long.

I didn't understand how one could just continue existing after a chunk of their heart is torn out from their chests??

And then as I stood there,
Amidst all of my family,
Waving savta off for one last time.
I realized I was being selfish,
Savta was no longer in pain, happily reunited with her parents, finally able to sit on her royal throne. Savta had gone home.

I stood there on the crowded street
Watching loss take over everyone I love,
Watching my aunts and uncles shout in pain, hurting for loosing their beloved mama. Their first love.

I knew they where hurting, but also knew they would be OK.
For mama's health they no longer had to pray.
Because now Savta was living a better role.
Watching and praying for her children,
Celebrating upon their every success.
Giving a happy dance each time we reach a new goal.
Savta, you I will forever miss.
I'm not sure if my heart will ever be whole
But I know you've got my back
Watching over me, praying for me, being proud of me. Protecting my lost soul.
 All while doing the same for us all. <3

In her eyes

In her eyes,

The world is pure.

Colors are beautiful,

Nature she does adore.

In her eyes,

The world is peaceful.

Birds chirp as dogs bark back,

Roosters call and squirrels climb over it all.

In her eyes,

Humans are all alike.

And every person receives a bright hello just the same.

She does not judge by color or race,

To her every person is a beautiful face.

In her eyes,

We are all good and truthful.

She would be astounded were she aware of people’s abundant lies.

Because in her eyes,

The sun does always shine.

Even during a thunderstorm,

She finds reason to dance.

During the snow blizzard,

She was so fascinated by the little white crystals falling for the sky.

Because the world is magnificent in her eye.

Taking her to the park,

Is an adventure in itself.

she excitedly waves at all the passerby,

Looking out for animals and when spotting one,

She gives an excited cry.

For in her eyes,

The world is ever fascinating.

She is curious, trying to understand,

What people do, what others may be saying.

In her eyes,

I am superwoman.

I shall not try to convince her otherwise,

In her eyes I do no wrong.

Joining in passionately,

Whenever I break into song.

In her eyes I see love,

In her eyes I see the light and joy I named her for.

In her eyes I see myself as a mother she does adore,

I shall never cease working.

On the image of myself, in her eyes,

Because if her expectations of me are the best,

How can I fail?

When in her eyes my heart always lies.

Re-post Wednesdays

I wrote this on March 1 2012,
I had to re-post this article since I still feel very strongly about this,
the only thing we can change in this world is ourselves.



You can't make up your mind 
As to who you want to be 
So indecisive 
About what you are to do 
You doubt good decisions 
& constantly second guess yourself 
You never raise your expectations 
And place upon yourself tough limitations. 
You consider yourself a failure
Because you fear success
You have no confidence
In your appearance or actions
You wait with bated breath
For life to get better
Counting the days
For the arrival of your happiness treasure
You have many hopes and desires
Dreams and fears
& u always think that no one cares
You read into words spoken
Looking for hidden meanings
Questioning you fellow mates gleamings
Please pick up a mirror
And see yourself beautiful
Think about you're actions
Smart and wise
You are kind and well liked
Honest and true
Stop being busy waiting for change
Have you forgotten what you have?
Many wish to be lucky as u?
Stop crying for shoes when some have no feet
Overcome your self negativity prove your sadness defeat
You always say you want to change the world
The best place to begin would be with yourself
So please be happy
And stop waiting for materialistic things to make you.

Be the change you want to see in the world

The only thing we can change in this world is ourselves

The world may be going to hell

With all the political dismay

Hate crimes happening each day

People depressed buried in dismay

Unsure which direction to head in,

 lost aimlessly from path to path they sway

Fearing the echo of their own voice

Their unique perspective will be unaccepted,

 For it makes far too much noise

So we are all captains of sinking ships

Smiling falsely, yet with reality we lose grips

Looking for contentment by fattening our hips

Painting a smile, onto our shouting lips

And we all see the misery of others

Empathetically try to help our sisters and brothers

But how can we help each other if we constantly fall?

If our knees are too weak and sink to the ground

How do we expect to stand tall?

By taking care of ourselves we can help those around

and together link hands & rise up from the ground.

A day with Lexie my Bestie

I love new your city

The bustling crowds

And peddlers selling their wares

The small cafes and unique boutiques

The unanimous feeling of not having a care

The rush of striding through the streets

And pondering the story behind every person you meet

 Vibrant Colors, strong scents and cultural events

Bright lights illuminate the night

And the sun rays peek through the skyscrapers

As taxis play a game of rush hour

All overlooked by the freedom tower

There is a euphoric feeling we all share

When we are in our native favorite city

Inspired by the old mixed with new

Learning lessons from all, even the ill tempered few

I am so ecstatic I had the opportunity

To show my favorite city to a very dear friend

Someone I haven’t seen in quite some time

Spending a day in the city definitely did our severed ties mend

We had lunch in union square

And walked all along Fifth Avenue to times square

After shopping a bit

And getting lost in Sephora

We went to Rockefeller center

And got lost in the romantic Valentine’s Day aura

We definitely will visit again before they depart

Even though I am currently a country girl

The city will always have my heart

Perspectives

The journey isn't about becoming everything.

It's about unbecoming everything that isn't really you- so you can be who you were created to be.

This quote really opened my eyes.

And helped me realize,

My lists of goals no longer whole.

Instead of ridding the concept of being lazy to get out of bed,

I’ll replace that with appreciation to wake each day.

There is no need to find a cure for irritation,

When one can simply work on their patience and appreciation.

We learn behaviors as a child,

They become our nurture, our natural response.

So we assume these behaviors become us.

If a child is mocked each time they fuss,

To mock a fussing child will only be natural to them.

But does that say mockery is a part of them?

Or only a bullying behavior they have nurtured as a child?

Therefore turning their more gentle nature into wild.

Teach the child the concept of kindness,

And you will redeem the pain the child does posses.

So the child can be who they always strived to be.

And no longer held back by characteristics,

they were always told is simply part of their personality.

Preach

You see, the world from an ants point of view
A few flies look like an entire zoo
Open  your eyes too all that's around
listen to those unheard sounds

Pay attention to what you don't normally see
smile, to those in misery.
Escape the walls of your reality
Understand how grateful you ought to be.

So many hurting, sick, doing time.
So many wearing masks so they seem fine
Cowering In the brokenness of their heart
Yearning for an opportunity, a new start.

Have you got a roof over your head?
Reason to get out of bed?
The heart you carry is it whole?
Are you satisfied with your current role?

So many have lost their chance
Homless in the streets
But they do dance
Collecting pennies to by some food
Bet you'd never know by their jolly mood.

But you worry about your third world problems
For your penthouse you can't afford rent.
Who cares if the world is at war
You mourn the closing of your favorite store.

I wonder when you all will open your eyes
When you will all realize,
I'm speaking to you, to him, to all.
yet my words on deaf ears fall.

Today I can, therefore I shall

The only way to get closer to your goals, is to begin.

If you do not take that first step,

How do you expect to win?

Simply try for today,

Forget about yesterday’s dismay.

Focus on what can be accomplished right now.

Just start, do not ponder on how.

Focus on the little things,

For one day you will notice those where the big things.

Be giving; constantly think what can I, to this scenario bring?

Be grateful for all you have,

Don’t focus on other’s grass.

Because then yours will seem brown,

Giving you more reason to frown.

But offer another a watering hose,

And together care for each other’s woes.

For only with unity can we conquer this world’s fight,

Be present in this moment,

Think before you speak.

Give your all to the task at hand,

Even if your patience lacks,

And your mind wanders far from the current track.

Push yourself further then your limitations,

Redefine your ability to deal with all situations.

We are always reading, searching, and researching inspiration

Purely for the sake of bettering ourselves.

But think, do these tools work when they really matter?

How do you handle yourself in a moment of distress?

Stop waiting for the perfect moment to be your best.

Simply choose to be great,

Focus on the good, move one step forward.

It is never too late.

He who expects, will only face regrets

A new favorite quotation of mine,

That I have happened to stumble upon.

While reading Oprah's book ‘Words that Matter’

Has really gotten me in thoughtful trance.

We all try our positivity and characteristics to enhance,

Even if bad times stumble upon us.

We continue to move forward,

We give happiness a chance.

What does it mean to disappoint?

To let someone so much down,

That you are the cause of their frown.

Or to be disappointed, filled with pessimistic thoughts in your head.

Why would we put ourselves through such negativity?

Do we not realize that with disappointment comes misery?

The quote was written by Alexander pope,

I value it so much; He has become a favored poet.

“Blessed is he who excpects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed”

Let that line sink into your head,

Wouldn’t you prefer to think this way?

To enable your mind to be strong.

 Not with disappointment to easily sway?

We should learn to replace expectations with gratitude,

I am happy the sun does shine,.

But if with morrow comes rain I shall not whine.

Because it is natural for weather to change,

I cannot expect for the universe to go alone with my preferred weather.

Therefore each and every occurrence I will treasure,

I hope you know I am not only doing about storms.

But I am applying this to my life,

This train of thought will help me become a better woman, mother and wife.

And possibly rid all disappointment, expectations and strife.

STOP! NO MORE MULTI TASKING!

As a writer I often edit other people’s resumes,

In order to assist them with their job application.

So that they can upgrade their financial situation.

And on every single resume I’ve seen to  this day,

One of the skills always written,

Is the ability to multi task.

To go from one requirement to the other fast,

I beg to differ to those who think this method of work is ideal,

Even my own boss expects me to work so fast as if time I could steal.

When we multitask, we are not doing both activities at the same time.

Our brain simply jumps from one side to the other.

which uses quite a bit of brain cells, and in essence slows you down.

If you listen to music while driving your focus lessens by 30%*.

In this fast past society we are always doing, running, accomplishing & overcoming.

We are on the go with tasks at hand,
 Ready to accomplish anything, to follow orders or commands.

Now just imagine how your brain looks when you are texting while driving.

In a 2008 University of Utah study, drivers took longer to reach their destinations when they chatted on cell phones.

Listen to what the psychologist who wrote this study said

multi tasking is like “a pie chart, and whatever we’re working on is going to take up the majority of that pie.

There’s not a lot left over for other things, with the exception of automatic behaviors like walking or chewing gum.”

Moving back and forth between several tasks actually wastes productivity, he says, because your attention is expended on the act of switching gears—plus, you never get fully “in the zone” for either activity. Guy Winch, PhD  

What will happen if we decide not to multi task anymore?

Will our work lack quality? Will we be late to complete our chore?

Say we give 100% and we learn to be mindful

To be mindful is to fully focus ones awareness on the present moment,
to be in a constant meditative state.

If you can achieve this, this too shall lower your stress rate

I’d like to be able to say I do not multi task.

I give my all to the job at hand so I can efficiently move onward.

Multi tasking overwhelms the brain and stresses us out.

So you are required to get a lot done in a short time span?

And you find yourself laughing at all I am saying

For you think you cannot do it all one thing at a time

Well then you do not understand the message I am conveying

I know what its like to have  long lists in my head

I have a demanding job

A beautiful yet so very busy child,

Who keeps me running around on my feet

Constantly doing things, until my tired body hits the bed

I can be there for my responsibilities while doing other less important things

But what does this accomplish? Even if more success it may bring

My brain will be a mess,

My priorities out of order

And the quality of my effort will be insufficient to what my capabilities are

For I can mutli taskingly do great

But if I fully focus on the present moment

 I can mindfully do amazing.

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20707868,00.html

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/09/health/your-brain-multitasking/

New Year SAME RESOLUTIONS

As you look at your list of new year goals,
Focus on the ones that will better you.
To eradicate bad behaviors,
We must replace them with new.

You may have a intellect as large as Brooklyn public library,
But all that knowledge is of no value.
If you don't take the first step of actions,
And apply those lessons to you.

I read so many books I devour them whole.
but reading and storing them in a file,
will not change me or make me filled with ambition.
all that intellect simply furthers me from my mission.

True change comes from within,
We need to want success, to have the desire to win.
Now you can consider yourself a failure,
Filled with pain to the brim.

Because your past actions have not been up to far?
So you've caused damage, despite coming so far?
If all you view yourself as, is your shortcomings,
Then one big pessimistic mass is all that you are!

But I think YOU KNOW BETTER!!
You are all the words your spouse has written in their love letter,
You are your success and positivity.
You are great simply for the desire to eradicate negativity.

To be able to change , love others and reach our goals.
With ourselves we must feel whole.
It is not selfish to love oneself.
It is selfless, for yours truly needs the most help.

Apply all the intellect you have in your head,
Replace all the bad behaviors,
Eradicate them with mindful peace making files instead.

There is no use stressing about others.
They are neither in your control,
Nor can they influence you from reaching your goals.
Only you are the captain of your ship!

Once you realize that, all your self destructive behaviors you can rip.
We all want to be great,
Even those that focus on hate instead of love,
They are simply focusing on the wrong side of the cup.

I wish you all lots of luck,
In the bettering you!
We are all a work in progress,
So even if you take one step forward, and 10 steps back, stay strong do not regress!