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Values and Priorities

I performed a ventriloquist show recently for orphans at a Hasidic center in Brooklyn. It is always gratifying to be able to bring joy and laughter to people, but it is particularly meaningful to perform for audiences like this...for children who have experienced true hardship and undoubtedly great sadness.
It reminds me of how fortunate I am in so many ways, not least of which is the fact that I have two amazing daughters. Having raised them as a single dad, I have great "nakhes" (pride and joy) to see that they are such talented, intelligent young women...and more importantly, that they are caring, warm-hearted, good human beings, with values that I respect and share.
And that reminds me of how important shared values are in friendships and relationships. I once knew someone who told me that my love and concern for Israel is "very annoying". That same person also expressed "great disappointment" that I'm not interested in ziplining and similar activities. I am no longer friends with that person.
Life is too short to waste with people who do not share your values and priorities. It is a lesson that I am still learning. And I am still learning to better appreciate the people in my life who DO share my values and priorities.
And I am still learning to cherish all the good fortune that I have in my life. There is no more touching reminder of that than being able to bring a puppet "to life" in front of a crowd of smiling, laughing, orphaned children. לחײם (l'chaim = to life!)

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