A Contribution Beyond Measure

My first visit to B'nai Israel Congregation in Rockville, Maryland, I was immediately struck by its grandeur. I knew the Lord sent me here as it was to be part of my continuing education. "This is the most beautiful synagogue I have ever seen," I thought to myself.

Mom always said, "The Jewish people are the apple of God's eye." She got that verse right out of the scriptures. It was her teachings that led me down this particular path.

Over the years I often I said to myself. "It's not my fault I was not born Jewish." I think I said that because my Mom continued to tell me they were God's chosen people. As a little kid, I wanted to be chosen too.

As an adult I was a frequent visitor and attended at the Friday night and Saturday morning services off and on for some 26 years. The service at this conservative synagogue is usually three hours. The scriptures are chanted in Hebrew from the Halakhah, the Jewish law, and a particular teaching is read every Sabbath.

I found a copy of the scriptures located in the pew. "Oh, this is great!" I said, as a big smile spread across my face. I could follow the service in English or Hebrew. Well, maybe not Hebrew!

* * *

Many years later God sent me to live on a mountaintop, again to continue my spiritual education. I remembered those words clearly. "This is only temporary," I heard the Lord say to me.

God's detours have no time limit. My idea of temporary would be a couple of weeks, three at the most; this one lasted nine months! "Wellsville, New York has got to be the second coldest place in the world other than Alaska!" I thought.

There was always a chill of ice in the air and snow lay on the ground most of the time. It seemed like summer had come and gone in one day. Florida was the place to be, always warm and sunny. My youngest daughter lived in Florida with her family. Several times while talking on the phone I could hear birds chirping in the background. Months later I received the call I had been secretly waiting for.

"Mom, can you come and help me out?" Valerie asked. "I'm going to deliver this baby in a couple weeks and I could use a little help." "I'll be on the next plane out of here!" was my excited reply.

Actually, I was driving using the auto train out of Virginia to get there safely. Unfortunately, the weekend I planned to leave we had twelve inches of snow.

I called my daughter and jokingly said, "Don't you have that baby till I can get there!"

I made it on time and a week later

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