As the wedding of my friend’s son, whom she isn’t in touch with physically, approaches, I asked my friend how she was feeling.
She looked at me with tears in her eyes and showed me a letter she wrote to her son, wondering if he’ll ever read it. I asked her why she wrote it if she didn’t think it would reach its final destination and if she thought he might not even read it.
She replied that all our actions have an impact. Sometimes we see it right away; other times, actions that seem had no effect whatsoever have long-lasting effects that we can’t even imagine. She handed me the letter and I began to read:
My dearest son Nachum,
It’s been years since we were last together. The last time I remember holding and hugging you, you were just a small child of 5.
What can be said for so many years gone by without me by your side?
What can be said that can take away the pain of the past?
What words can I say that will make everything good again?
I’m not quite sure. However, I can share with you a piece of my heart, which is worth more than words can ever express.
We come down to this world small and sweet, forgetting what challenges we accepted to face. Born into the families we chose, growing up and going thought life as it is sent our way. Sometimes we feel life is smiling at us and sending us rays of sun and happiness, while at other times we feel as if the sun has set forever. We develop a coat of armor that we think will protect us from any harm that is coming our way. We try our best to stay far from the things we feel are bad for us, and yet at times that bad seems to chase us down till we are defeated.
My dear son, you are still very young, only 18 years old. Life is ahead of you and you are just beginning your journey down the path of life.
On a personal level I would love more than anything to be a part of your life emotionally as well as physically. However, dear child it is not we who choose what to be a part of, rather it’s in the hand of Hashem who guides us all. You are young and ambitious and want to take over the world, don’t stop. Just remember that we are all in G-d’s hands like pottery in the hands of the sculpture.
You have grown so many years without me by your side, that my name is just a distant memory.
Hashem works in mysterious ways. We may see one side of the coin, when in fact the other side tells a different story all together. Don’t be fooled by all the glitter and gold that you see. Be wise and look beyond what the naked eye can see. Look within each soul you meet and remember that what the heart can see, no physical picture can every really capture.
Don’t judge others, and you won’t be judged. Be kind to all, especially to those who might seem so cold. They are like that, because they are missing so much love.
How can I give you the wisdom I have gained over the years through all the challenges and hardships I have been through? However, I can give you a mother’s blessing, which is even higher than that of the high priest on Yom Kippur. A mother’s blessing comes from a world high above in the heavens that is right beneath Hashem’s throne. It’s a place without any ego, it’s a place that has only goodness and giving inside, and it’s a place of self-sacrifice no other place can compare to. Since a mother only gives without any intention of receiving anything in return.
May you feel G-d’s presence in your heart at all times, may you have the wisdom to see this world and everything in it, from within and not from without.
And above all I bless you to see and feel what it really means to be a parent.
I love you and always will. I still wait and pray for the day we will unite, in good health and true happiness.
With all my heart your mother.
I put down the letter which was wet with my tears and hugged my dear friend. I thanked her for teaching me a lesson about life one can only learn by experiencing it.
May we learn and see things only in a good way and not through pain and suffering.