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Thought for the Day: This just in -- I caught my breath! Baruch HaShem

I had the following conversation with my son (via texting.... sigh, you do what you have to):
Me: Guess what!  This is mamash soooo exciting!!!!
Son: LOL what?
Me: Are you sitting?
Son: Yes
Me: I don't want you to get hurt when you are bowled over by this exciting news.
Son: I'm sitting....
Me: Arms on the chair?  Maybe it would be better if you were on the floor already...
Son: I'm in a car on the way home. Strapped in and everything.
Me: You better not be driving! x-(
Son: I'm not.
Me: Ok...
Me: Are you getting annoyed?
Son: No, I am not getting annoyed.
Son: But I'm hoping this is leading to something about receiving a check in the mail.
Me: Bigger than that!
Son: Kk. I'm excited... what is it?
Me: Do you know the body produces enough toxins to kill a person in just a few minutes?
Son: Ok...
Me: But... and this is the exciting news now...
Son: Wait.  I know: G-d lets us live.  Wow!!! Miracle!
Me: I KNOW!!!

So what prompted this?  We've had a rough few months her in Chicago with levayas.  I was riding home yesterday and was thinking about that and suddenly realized, "I'm not dead".  So what's the big deal, you ask?  Dovid haMelech thought it was a big enough deal to end T'hillim, his magnum opus to praising HaShem, with the statement (according to medrash b'reishis raba): "Each and every breath is a reason to praise HaShem."  And that's how we finish p'zukei d'zimra each and every morning.  That means that Dovid haMelech never expected the next breath, and when it came -- he was excited!

Of course I am not at all, chas v'shalom, suggesting that we should ignore or even minimize the pain that all who have lost love ones are feeling.  I am only suggesting that we should reflect a bit on how great it is to be alive once in a while.  Like every breath.

Even though that would really be the best place to end, I feel compelled to add one postscript: My son called this morning and said, "Abba!  Great news!  I'm breathing!!"
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