Strength. Discernment. Boundaries. Discipline. Power within Perseverence. Endurance. Day-to-Day. Horizon. Long-Haul. Eternity.
[Long-Haul. Eternity. Is that redundant?]
I’m going to stick with the dog theme here. Let’s call her Flora. That will likely be her name, pending approval of the 5th grade peer group... It is certainly true that our sweet Flora will need plenty of Chesed, and she will also need plenty of Gevurah. We all will. A friend of mine, who is an experienced dog person, said to me, “You know how you told me once that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing? Well, it can also be said that there are no unDisciplined dogs, only unDisciplined owners.” (I may have to revise that statement about the weather after this “spring”. Besides, I can’t claim credit for it.)
Getting a dog accustomed to a new home and family does take serious Discipline. She will have to learn Boundaries - which rooms she may and may not enter, what to chew and what not to chew, how to greet us without jumping up, etc. We will need Strength to continue teaching her with Chesed in this Long-Haul operation, if - when - we run into frustration. We will need Discipline to steer clear of complacency when things are going well.
I was going to say, “I promise the next 3-and-a-half weeks won’t be all about the dog.” But I’m afraid I can’t promise that... That may just be the story line that provides me with a steady stream of inspiration over the Duration of the rest of this year’s Omer blog, which is definitely a bit of an Endurance run involving plenty of Discipline.
May you be blessed with the Strength and the Discipline to stay with whatever Long-Haul endeavors you find yourself in these days. May you find your hidden Power within your Day-to-Day.