A Jewish birthday can be considered in some ways to be “a mini-Rosh Hashanah”. The Talmud informs us that on our Jewish birthdays our mazal (good fortune) is dominant. The Jewish birthday is the perfect day for reflection about our lives as Jews and is an auspicious time to make new resolutions to perform good deeds and to deepen our commitment to Torah and the role it plays in our lives.
For me, today is one of those milestone birthdays and I am doing a lot of reflecting. I am so lucky to live in a free country, in a land of opportunity. I have had the privilege of knowing Gavin for 21 years and almost 20 happy years of marriage. We have our three wonderful kids who bring us so much joy. Yes I have had challenges. The biggest one was hearing the news that Caily our youngest has Down syndrome. I truly believe that this challenge made me a stronger and better person and bonded our family. This challenge more than any brought perspective to my life and appreciation for what is important in life.
I still have a long list of achievements that I want to accomplish. I have not yet made it to the front cover of Fortune magazine, I have not yet made great fortunes that I can use to change the Jewish world and special needs world. But I know what is important, I know the path I am travelling on, I am grateful that I have Gavin as partner in my journey and Torah to guide us. I look forward to growing, doing and achieving until 120.
Dear friends, I bless you all that you can see the beauty in your lives, appreciate that Torah provides the most important framework for living a meaningful life and perhaps most importantly, the lesson that life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.
Originally published: December 20, 2012
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