Grateful to God...

Happy Thanksgiving...

Image credit: christfc.net

DAYENU IN AUTUMN

It Would’ve Been Enough!

It’s late autumn—

The High Holy Days are over

It is several months until Passover

so this is not the season of the year

when we sing “Dayenu” at Beth Israel

with grateful hearts, because

the apple of God’s eye survived the Exodus

and made it to the Promised Land

Still, I’m feeling thankful today

and feel like singing “Dayenu”

Thanksgiving Day is approaching

and I’m meditating upon God’s goodness

If God had merely given me life

but didn’t make me capable, strong and vibrant

it would’ve been enough!

If He had placed me in a family

but not an environment of acceptance, security, love

it would’ve been enough!

If God had provided me with daily bread and water

but not fruit and vegetables, meat and cake

it would’ve been enough!

If He had simply given me shelter

and not a pleasant home cozy, warm, and safe

it would’ve been enough!

If God had drawn me to Himself

but didn’t fill my heart with jubilation

it would’ve been enough!

And if He led me to the Cross

but didn’t reveal the countless splendors

the Cross secured for me in eternity

it certainly would’ve been enough!

but God’s generosity knows no bounds

and my cup is spilling over into its saucer

with His bounty of wondrous blessings

so I shall thank Him with praise and hallelujahs

singing with all my might—

Day dayenu, day dayenu

day dayenu dayenu dayenu!

Maude Carolan Pych


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Blessed at the Garden Tomb

While Bob and I were visiting the Garden Tomb,
I received a special blessing...

Photo credit: tripsisrael.com

A VERY PERSONAL BLESSING

Israel Pilgrimage—2006

Bob and I sit meditatively

on a bench in the pastoral garden

in view of the Garden Tomb—

Our pilgrimage is almost over

In a few hours we’ll prepare

for the long flight home

I catch a glimpse of a bookstore

and am jolted into remembering

that one of my poems

"Extraordinary Matzoh"

published in William Francis' book

Celebrate the Feasts of the Lord

may actually be for sale, here

at the Garden Tomb

so we go inside—

and sure enough, see it

beckoning to me from the shelf

among so many other

interesting and inviting holy books

I reach for a copy

even though I have one at home

(except this one

has a label printed in Hebrew

and a price tag in shekels)

So, whether it is silly or frivolous

I approach the cashier to pay

and swipe my hand across

the smooth russet cover that depicts

a glowing hanukkiah and a scroll

then flip through pages

to find what I know

is on page 31…my poem

introducing the chapter

about the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Oh! It blesses my soul

to discover my own simple words

here at this sacred spot

Truly, it blesses my soul to know

even when I return home today

books that contain this earnest poem of praise

will remain as my gift of blessing to the Land

Maude Carolan Pych

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Dead Sea Dips...

Pastor/Rabbi Jonathan Cahn of Beth Israel Worship Center, Wayne, NJ,

is presently leading a pilgrimage in the Holy Land.

The tour will surely include a dip in the amazing Dead Sea...

Photo credit: pinterest.com

DEAD SEA DIPS—TWO DECADES APART

Israel Pilgrimages—1986 & 2006

Twenty years ago—

At midday, I slipped into

crystal clear salty sea-water

warm as bathwater

Saline stung

my freshly shaved legs

Great salt pillars

like giant white mushrooms

rose above the water

and glistened in the daylight

Some bathers climbed upon the pillars

others floated on their backs

and read a magazine

as depicted in advertisements

in glossy travel mags

The surprising buoyancy

delighted me

as silky natural minerals

caressed my skin—

a luxurious

spa-less spa treatment

Over-exuberance caused me

to disregard caution—

Salt-water splashed into my eyes

blinding me

until washed away

with copious freshwater

This trip—

It’s sunset

Our group enters the sea

(actually a big salt lake)

smaller than it was

twenty years ago

due to steady

evaporation

This time the water

is cool and brown

There are no

salt pillars to climb

We cautiously step

into squishy mud

It oozes between our toes

and swallows our feet

like quicksand

Guarding against sliding

on slick slippery stones

we dip down                                   

and pull up handfuls

of soothing, luxurious mud

and laugh as we

slather it lavishly

over arms, legs

even our faces—

thankful for the cover

of darkness

Later, in the gift shop

we purchase packages

of Dead Sea mud

at five dollars each—

beauty treatments

for our daughters

back home

Maude Carolan Pych

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

Happy 90th Birthday, Bob Pych!

Sto lat!

"May you live 100 years..."

(at least!)

FOR MY HUSBAND ON HIS 90^TH BIRTHDAY

For Robert Pych—November 3, 2019

Happy birthday, my darling—

Ninety is definitely a milestone!

There’s so much to celebrate—

reasonably good health

great family, close friends

a comfortable life

but most of all

truly, truly, most of all

this is the perfect time to celebrate

enduring love, in these, our golden years

for we live a gentle life

with lots of I love yous

and spontaneous embraces

that generate smiles throughout the day

We take care of one another

and consider each other

in our own unique ways—

You’ve endured plenty of poetry readings

I’ve been known to flip

through magazines at the racetrack

We frequently gather at the Scrabble board

and squabble about those two-letter words

or by the TV, where we really try

to find something mutually agreeable to watch

Every evening we join hands in prayer to God

for all the people we love

and some we’ve never met

whose names are given to us by others

Who would ever have thought

love would keep on growing

and be so tender and sweet

as hair gets greyer

wrinkles get deeper

memories get muddier

and backs get achier

but the truth is

at least in our case, it does

May you live to be 100, hubby!

Sto lat! Sto lat, my dear!!!

Maude Carolan Pych