Earlier this evening, I went to my sanctuary, The Indiana Dunes State Park, to do some hiking, reading, studying, praying and introspection in honor of the Holy day, Rosh Hashanah. As I sat atop, Mt. Tom, overlooking Lake Michigan, the sun had set behind the clouds- well to be honest, the clouds blocked the whole sunset, so it was nothing spectacular. And as the distant luminaries, from the surrounding steel mills and Chicagoland area, lit up the cool and breezy evening, I saw that there was a cloud front sweeping in. So I headed down to the beach, through the now darkened path leading down towards it.

As I was walking along the beach, it was just amazing to see the front move closer and closer to the shoreline with a random flash of lightning, every now and then, in the distance. As I continued on, the front made landfall and the wind picked up tremendously, and I loved every minute of it. You could hear the mighty wind roaring through the trees, atop the ridge of the sand dunes. The wind reminded me of the Ruach-the wind or Spirit of Elohim. I continued to contemplate as I observed this, that the trees were bowing down & the rustling leaves sounded like a soothing praise to God as the wind moved through them, almost as if to say, “Thank you for the coming rains.” Even the creation worships the Creator.

As I observed this, I then noticed that the crickets were still out and about, because it hadn’t yet started to rain. As I heard this creature singing it’s song, I couldn’t help but contemplate it’s simplicity. I’ve always had a hunch about crickets, that the song they sing has something to do with our circadian rhythm, and helps to lull us to sleep. A good example of this, would be people who go to sleep with the TV on, except I think that crickets are God’s way to lull us to sleep, and thankfully not the TV. As I sat there soaking all of this in, I started to wonder about crickets in biblical times. Just think, that when Y’shua would be sitting around, midrashing with his disciples around a fire, under the stars; or even when he was in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, praying and fasting, I’m sure that crickets were the backdrop- serenading all of those present in those situations. All of this is just simply amazing to think about and ponder.

Needless to say, this evening was very refreshing and much needed.

Baruch atah Adonai Eloheynu Melech Ha’Olam!

Blessed are You, Oh Lord our God, King of the Universe!

You know that moment when you’ve looked at/heard something a million times, and then one day, BAMMM— your mind perceives it from a different angle that didn’t even exist before. Yeah, that happened with my Dad today. My Dad is a genius!! I’ve always known this, but the magnitude of pride that I felt today, while talking with my parents, aunt, and uncles really hit home, in my heart. My dad is a machinist, and a darn great one at that, too. He has drawn up plans and built many machines in his days. Label making machines and machines that were shipped off to businesses in China, Indonesia, the USA, and still others that were made for the businesses that he has worked for. Oh yeah, and he also built the house that I grew up in!! But no biggie, right? Wrong! This post goes out to you Dad, even though, you have no idea that this post exists. You are blessed with a gift and a great work ethic, all the while sharing your love with your wife, kids, grand-kids, etc. Thanks for being awesome Dad! 

There’s been a lot of changes in the last couple of months. Great and positive changes. With the help of friends and family, I started up a business,called the Lettuce Leaf. I only had it in operation for a few weeks though, because I had another job lined up. And boy am I learning a TON- with lots of mistakes of course! I wouldn’t learn any other way. I now work for a small company called Foods Alive, which is located across the state. So yes, I have finally moved out of my parents house (which is a good thing- it was time…and I always said that I wanted to be out of the house, no later than the age 25, which was accomplished). I must say, that living in an apartment still feels like staying at a hotel, to me. But I’m sure that that feeling will dissipate.

On June 1, 2012, I stepped down from my job at Comcast Xfinity, as a Direct Sales Representative. Yes, that was me knocking on your doors and signing people up for all that jazz. That job totally took me out of my comfort zone and helped me to expnentially grow mentally, but moreso spiritually-by  depending on the Almighty to provide those open doors of opportunity and dealing with rejection on minute by minute basis. I also got to live with a really great family. I was blessed with their hospitality, the entertainment of kids- including a newborn, and studying and discussing the scriptures on a daily basis. I felt like I was in the tents of Shem. “…and let him dwell in the tents of Shem…” -Genesis 9:27

I had about a month and a half in between my job at Comcast and starting at Foods Alive, so I decided to take that time to continue the progress of my business to sell organic produce at the local farmers market. The very first week that we were set to open up, they cancelled the market, due to the heat. So I had all of this produce to get rid of and no traffic flow. Eek! But thanks to family and friends purchasing most of the produce, we did very well. So I was encouraged to go ahead and try the next week. I figured, if we did that well, with just family and friends and no traffic, then we’ll have to sell at least 1.5 times what we did that initial week. Needless to say, I was wrong. =P The blue collar town that I live in was not ready to fully embrace organic food. Plus, I learned that it would be best to start up a Co-Op instead of buying all of the food myself and trying to sell it. A Co-Op would work way more efficiently with less ‘moolah’ lost. Since starting at Foods Alive, I’ve put the Lettuce Leaf on the back burner for the time being- with the intention of doing something with it in the future. 

So now I’m working at Foods Alive!! And I FREAKIN’ LOVE IT!! It’s a dream job! I help with the production of the flax oil, chia oil, black sesame oil, flax crackers, super foods, shipping, dabble with the website, taking orders on the phone, inputting orders and products into the computer, video editing, loading/unloading trucks, etc. It’s a blessed opportunity, because they’re training me on how to do everything so that I’ll be able to run it by myself- that way they can focus on expanding the business. It’s a very exciting time to jump on board with them, and I’m learning new stuff everyday. And most importantly, I’m surrounded by healthy choices for my mind/body. I now have a really great opportunity to feed my body what it needs- more fruits, veggies, and other healthy snacks!! I can’t thank the Almighty enough, for this opportunity. 

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech Ha’Olam!

Blessed are you, Oh Lord our GOD, King of the Universe!