Dear friends,
I’m a bit behindhand posting this sermon from last weekend…but I suppose that’s OK. Grateful for the retreat with colleagues that occupied my mind and heart most of the week. Happy Thanksgiving, all!
Peace,
Rev. Laura
***
Grateful Life, Joyful Life
I want to tell you a true story.
Picture an elderly lady, aged 91 and a half.
She’s got fantastic silver-white hair
and an expression that says,
“Don’t mess with me, babe, I’ve seen it all.”
This is Selma Baraz, a self-identified Jewish mother.
She is not shy about telling you
that Jewish mothers are born to complain!
“Actually,” she’ll tell you, “it’s called kvetching.”
All day, every day.
She’s spent her whole life reveling in how awful it all is.
“Either it’s too sunny, or it’s too dull out.
It’s raining, or we don’t have enough rain.”[1]
There is always something to complain about.
That’s Selma.
Now enter a skinny middle-aged guy with a big bushy mustache,
thick glasses, and a grin that won’t quit.
This is her son, James Baraz. Continue reading
