Keep Your Head in the Game

No-one likes to be brought down.  It would be great if we could get good vibes all the time from those we love.  But the journey of life, of course, is not a straight-line path.  And sometimes the only way up the mountain is via the pathways that go down through the valley. Marriage, friendship, community -- these are all things that take a lot of time and investment.  And while receiving compliments from friends and loved ones is wonderful, and receiving praise from our community makes us feel super-proud, the real gift of growth comes from being able to listen to the constructive suggestions and reflections of those who are closest to us and who we can trust to see our flaws and wisely point them out to us. Without a doubt, we all need the strong wind in our sails of feeling proud of all the good that we do.  But we also must always remember that life, in its purest and most fundamental sense, is a journey of growth.  And it is essential that we remain open to discovering where we still have opportunities and need for growth -- that we remain humble to the fact that with every new day the journey still lies ahead of us -- and that we embrace our place as a crucial link in the lives of all those we know, and in the chain of parents and grandparents and children that unfolds throughout time. Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Ekev'  - "Keep Your Head in the Game" May we each be blessed to humbly believe in ourselves every day, and to always seek out new opportunities to grow and to further beautify the world around us, and the lives of all those we love. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu