In my mind, it was just yesterday that I worked at Tovi’s True Value Hardware Store. It was just yesterday when I lived at our house in Glenview. Then it was just yesterday when I held each of my kids in my arms after their birth and promised to love them and protect them forever. Every time I blink my eyes a memory passes before me. You know what they say… The eyes are our windows to the world. Our short lives are infinitesimal compared to how much time has passed already or how long time will go on without us. It’s not dollars or cents that we pass on to our children, as that too will be gone quickly. Nor is any building that we built or any accomplishments that we were recognized for in our lifetime. It’s the words we said to our children. It’s the lessons they learned from us. It the mannerisms or the way we treated people or how we loved that goes on and is carried from generation to generation.

Some people teach hate to their children. Many of them have it so ingrained in them that don’t even know that they are doing it. It could be in Israel, or in Palestine, it could be in a black or white community. I’m sorry, but in my lifetime I learned that people are people. People are human, there not colors, they’re not identified as a type of person by the clothes they wear.

The hatred that exists today won’t be solved in our lifetime. For that matter, it may go on for generations. I’m not a biblical historian but I think God did wipe out entire populations as a way to cleanse things. To some degree, I’m sure it solved the problem and it also made an example for others to hopefully learn from.   I’m not sure if God’s ready to step in again. If you remember at one time God was asked if he would spare the city if he could find just 10 good people and he said he would. Unfortunately, he only found one man and he saved his family but he might not be as lenient the next time around.

I have a friend named JJ and he has a jazz band that plays every Friday night in our restaurant for the last 15 years. On each of those Fridays he asks everyone to pray for “peace all over the world.” I’m afraid if he gets his wish God will make it peaceful again but none of us will be here. Maybe he should be asking for us all to show love all over the world.

May love be with you all my friends and your friends and their friends until we have a 60’s love fest going. Ok, Que the Beatles record playing… “All You Need Is Love”