Living a Life that Matters

While looking for a mindfulness book at the library, I ran across an older book by Harold Kushner of "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" fame. As an author and rabbi he has a clear way of explaining the Bible. The book is themed around the story of Jacob. All I remembered from my early bible teachings of the old testament was the song "We are climbing Jacob's ladder" and no idea what that meant.

Jacob is kind of a devious dude, who tricked his father into giving him the patriarchal blessing his twin brother Esau was supposed to get. Jacob then flees from a furious Esau to Aram (Syria). He meets and falls in love with Rachel, but is tricked into marrying her older sister Leah (Karma). He then works even more to earn Rachel, giving him two wives. Jacob then wrestles with an angel and wins, but comes out limping.

I'm not sure why I started writing this blog a few weeks ago. I guess Kushner's idea that to be human is to struggle with our conscience and need to be good people, while at times giving into the easy way out, even cheating or acting willfully mean, spoke to me. Kushner determines that it is good enough to play a supporting role in life, we don't have to be the star, the saint, the one who leaves behind a great novel, painting, or legacy. He says,  "no life is ever wasted. If a person has known love, has felt and given love, that person's life has made a difference."

I just thought I would share this picture of one of my loves, at the cool spot in Denver, Linger, housed in an old mortuary.