When my firstborn daughter arrived in this world, it was only 2 months after 9-11. I remember thinking “What kind of world am I bringing a human being into?”

11 years, 3 more children later I still have those thoughts after every senseless horrific tragedy that befalls our fragile world. From mumbai, to Itamar, to this week’s Sandyhook and too many incidences in between, I fantasize wrapping each precious child of mine in bubble-wrap every time they leave my protective arms.

They say after you have children your heart remains outside your body following them wherever they go….sadly that is not enough to protect them from the crazy world we are part of.
Are we any different than our ancestors before us?  Nope.

Think of the world our grandparents endured in Europe when the maddest of all men set out to destroy them and nearly succeeded. The choices they had to make to protect their own was unfathonable. Yet here we are in 2012 with similiar fears. If we don’t fear daily, we fear for the future as we see such a rise in antisemitsm, terrorism, extremism…ISM’s really suck don’t they?
So what to do? How do we survive as parents without literally barricading our babies in a steel enclosed bunker?
Well, the answer is obvious and for those of us lucky enough to have been raised with G-d in our lives, pretty simple.

Our bubblewrap exists in G-d. If we live our lives believing that there is a higher power, a higher purpose and that whatever happens is part of the greater plan…good or horrifically bad….we have no choice but to go on.

G-d determines who lives and dies. G-d creates miracles. G-d gives and G-d takes.

When I was young and full of questions I used to wonder if G-d really did exist…later I grew up and said, who cares….we have no choice but to believe because without belief we are a quivering lost mess.  I’ve been through my share of challenges and tragedies and I personally have seen G-d’s hands in my life…but even if I still had doubts I would need to believe.
The U.S.A took G-d out of their schools so as not to offend….it’s sad.

We who grew up in private sachools and we who send our kids to private schools are lucky, despite the high pricetag. We give up on luxuries so we can instill in our kids the necessary tools to survive our world. Faith. Morality. Fear of G-d. Belief.

How do Israeli’s survive day to day surrounded by millions of psycho exretimists who fantasize driving each one, from 1 month old to 100 to the sea…
They believe in G-d.
They have no other choice.
Our grandparents lived in a world we can’t even imagine, they had our parents who had us. We all survived through good times and bad and we will continue to survive come what may.  And through faith so will our precious children, bubblewrap or not.

May the souls of all those precious children and adults whose lives were cut short rest in peace.

Dec 16, 2012 / Musings