In the senior citizen program I attend on Thursdays we begin with group discussions. This past week, we were asked what we love and enjoy about children. All of us who attend are parents and grandparents, so we do get to see the younger generations.
One thing many of us mentioned was the fact that children are so accepting and how they are seeing things for the first time. That enthusiasm is lost too quickly once people grow up. We get too jaded and take much too much for granted. We also get disappointed, sometimes more quickly and more deeply than youngsters who have an innate optimism.
A grandchild of someone I know from somewhere else has recently been diagnosed with cancer, and I'm always amazed at the smiles that glow from the pictures they post. It's clear that the sick child doesn't really understand the serious ramifications and lack of grantees, but the parents and grandparents also show large optimistic smiles. I guess they are doing the right thing, since as long as there is life and a chance of a complete recovery, there is no need to allow fear and depression to reign.
That optimism is the secret ingredient that makes every second we live a true blessing and pleasure. May Gd give us the strength to always see the joy in life, to see what's in the cup and not what's missing.
רפואה שלימה
Refuah Shleimah
A Complete Recovery to All Those in Need, Gd Willing