Messages

This morning, I was trying to remember the name of someone I work with. We have a WhatsApp group at work, so I scrolled through the group info, hoping to match a photo with a name.

As I searched, I noticed the messages people had attached to their statuses. One read: "כי הירבת טובות אלי" — “For You have bestowed so much goodness upon me.”

I became emotional when I read those words. The woman who wrote them has been suffering terribly from knee problems for the past two years and lives in constant pain. Yet despite everything, she still recognizes the goodness Hashem has given her.

Another status read: “We rise by lifting others.” The timing of that message struck me deeply. I had been about to send a friend a message mocking the grammar mistakes in something an English teacher had written. I stopped myself when I realized I was about to denigrate someone else — but for what purpose?

Messages surround us every day, but do we truly listen to them? Do we appreciate the wisdom encapsulated in just a few words?

I, for one, want to thank the members of that group who chose to pin such meaningful, and impactful messages to their accounts. The next time you see one, don’t ignore it.