The only entities in this entire universe who are cuter and more precocious than my grandchildren are my children. (My son-in-laws don't actually believe, but they'll find out when they have their own grandchildren, בעזרת השם.) Nonetheless, I have learned that there are many people who do not recognize that truth, and they seem quite unwilling to be educated. As a consequence, I rarely share pictures of and stories about my grandchildren with my colleagues at work. Unless, of course, the cuteness and/or precociousness exhibited in the picture/video/incident is just so blatant that only the most boorish of human being could be immune and fail to recognize above stated truth. (Shockingly, I have run across such boors. Too bad for them.)
Such as this one. My wife and I do our grocery shopping on Sunday mornings (after R' Fuerst's always fascinating Sunday morning shiur on contemporary halachic topics; archives at psak.org and also at Torah Anytime; you're welcome). We've done that for years; it's nice, it's convenient. Recently we've been taking our three year old grandson with us. It gets him out of the house for awhile, gives his mother a break, we get him a cookie at the bakery (they adore him); it's nice, it's convenient.
I got a call from my daughter the other morning, she was cracking up... told me she had a little extra time that morning so decided to go grocery shopping on the way to dropping the three year old at the day care. "We are going to the grocery store first," she told him. "I go grocery shopping with Bubbie and Zeidy," he replied. She let it go. Then he asked, "Where is the bridge?" "We are going a different way." "I don't like this way." She let it go. "This isn't the grocery store!" "It's a different store." "I don't like this store." Then he wanted a cookie and was very unhappy to learn that they don't have cookies for adorable little three year olds there. All in all a very unsatisfying trip from my grandson, who let his mother know -- as only a three year old can -- just how unsatisfied he was.
I told a few people at work. They all liked the story and all responded, "Wow... he obviously likes going with you; what a nice relationship with your grandson!"
We do lots of things because we have a relationship. We celebrate birthdays, we go to museums, we go to the park; you know; stuff. All those things are because of the relationship. But how does that relationship itself get built in the first place? More than that -- much, much more than that -- how does not doing something together also become part of that relationship? It's those little mundane, nice, and convenient activities. They certainly are convenient and nice, but we also most certainly are choosing to them with those we love because we want to experience being with them. The fact of choosing to interact even for mundane activities simply to experience that feeling of love and closeness builds and strengthens the relationship like nothing else.
I put on my right shoe first and then my left shoe; then tie my left shoe and then my right shoe. I reverse that procedure to take them off. I put on my right Neo (over boot) first and also fasten the clasp; then I put on the left Neo and tighten its clasp. I reverse that procedure when I take them off. HaShem cares which order I put on, tie, clasp, and remove my shoes and boots? Well... that is the halacha. In fact, it is one of my favorite halachos. Making kiddush, eating matzah, sitting in a sukkah... those are all big things we do because of my relationship with HaShem. How do we build that relationship and make every moment of our lives part of that relationship? The fact of choosing to interact even for mundane activities simply to experience that feeling of love and closeness builds and strengthens the relationship like nothing else.
Such as this one. My wife and I do our grocery shopping on Sunday mornings (after R' Fuerst's always fascinating Sunday morning shiur on contemporary halachic topics; archives at psak.org and also at Torah Anytime; you're welcome). We've done that for years; it's nice, it's convenient. Recently we've been taking our three year old grandson with us. It gets him out of the house for awhile, gives his mother a break, we get him a cookie at the bakery (they adore him); it's nice, it's convenient.
I got a call from my daughter the other morning, she was cracking up... told me she had a little extra time that morning so decided to go grocery shopping on the way to dropping the three year old at the day care. "We are going to the grocery store first," she told him. "I go grocery shopping with Bubbie and Zeidy," he replied. She let it go. Then he asked, "Where is the bridge?" "We are going a different way." "I don't like this way." She let it go. "This isn't the grocery store!" "It's a different store." "I don't like this store." Then he wanted a cookie and was very unhappy to learn that they don't have cookies for adorable little three year olds there. All in all a very unsatisfying trip from my grandson, who let his mother know -- as only a three year old can -- just how unsatisfied he was.
I told a few people at work. They all liked the story and all responded, "Wow... he obviously likes going with you; what a nice relationship with your grandson!"
We do lots of things because we have a relationship. We celebrate birthdays, we go to museums, we go to the park; you know; stuff. All those things are because of the relationship. But how does that relationship itself get built in the first place? More than that -- much, much more than that -- how does not doing something together also become part of that relationship? It's those little mundane, nice, and convenient activities. They certainly are convenient and nice, but we also most certainly are choosing to them with those we love because we want to experience being with them. The fact of choosing to interact even for mundane activities simply to experience that feeling of love and closeness builds and strengthens the relationship like nothing else.
I put on my right shoe first and then my left shoe; then tie my left shoe and then my right shoe. I reverse that procedure to take them off. I put on my right Neo (over boot) first and also fasten the clasp; then I put on the left Neo and tighten its clasp. I reverse that procedure when I take them off. HaShem cares which order I put on, tie, clasp, and remove my shoes and boots? Well... that is the halacha. In fact, it is one of my favorite halachos. Making kiddush, eating matzah, sitting in a sukkah... those are all big things we do because of my relationship with HaShem. How do we build that relationship and make every moment of our lives part of that relationship? The fact of choosing to interact even for mundane activities simply to experience that feeling of love and closeness builds and strengthens the relationship like nothing else.
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