Poetry and Stories
MY BELIEFS
I learned about beliefs soon as I was able
To understand the talk at our kitchen table.
I was a young child
And very proud
So I shut all the windows
When their voices were too loud!
For instance,
On Yom Kippur, the holiest of days
Neither Mama or Daddy
Earned my praise.
For Daddy, the food in the icebox was such a treat
So while Mama lit the Yartzeit glasses (memory candles)
He would sit and eat!
Mama’s parents were religious Jews
And to her it was a sin,
“God will punish you!”
She hollered at him!
“I don’t lie, I don’t cheat, I don’t steal!” he replied
Never putting his spoon and fork aside,
“Many people sitting in shul (the synagogue) today
Rob, cheat and hurt others, yet they pray.
They are HYPOCRITES! I say.”
In his heart, Daddy believed
In the GOLDEN RULE
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
And for him this was always true.
Many years have gone by and I still believe this too,
But is it enough for you and me?
NO!
I wouldn’t want to live any longer
If I did not believe
That there is a God we can trust
Who cares for me and for all of you.
I’m so PROUD of my children and grandkids, and it’s no news
That I respect their beliefs, be they Christians or Jews.
I’m sure that when God looks down on them
From Heaven above
He sees tolerant people
Who share His love
P.S. Mama and Daddy, there was no need to fight
I listened and I learned that both of you were right!
Annette Wexler
MY BELIEFS