I have been at AIPAC – America Israel Public Affairs Committee for the last few days. It was at amazing experience to be with 10,000 Jews from all political persuasions who care about Israel. Highlights included Obama speaking in the opening session and Netanyahu for the closing session. Last night there were also 350 members of Congress, two-thirds of the Senate, diplomats from 65 countries and countless other politicians. There were also 215 college campus presidents and leaders from various Christian denominations. I was blown away.
Now I am on the very early train back to NY. On my way back to being mommy. I was pondering a comment made in political context about Israel but it resonated for me as a mom. “The future is beyond our vision but not beyond our control.”
As moms we all hold hopes, wishes, dreams and aspirations for our kids. We all dream of a future that is happy and successful but we also know that what we dream and reality do not always match. We do not know what the future holds but to some extent we can control it.
We are coming to the months of change. Kids graduate, families relocate and change schools, new jobs are started, new challenges emerge. Even sending a kid off to sleep away camp can be a very impactful event. We can control and shape our world and those of our kids by teaching them Torah values and principals to live by. We can be role models that provide strong imagery for our kids. We may not be there but they will know what we expect, they will know how to behave, they will understand that the principals of Torah and mitzvot are constant whether they’re at sleep away camp, at their first day of school or their first day on the job as an analyst at an investment bank.
I am so grateful to have the guiding principals that take away the fear of the future and create some control over our reality.
Metroimmas, what mottos/philosophies guide you through your everyday life?
Originally published: May 24, 2011