For our 20th anniversary… we had a baby! LOL! For our 25th anniversary, I want to go all out! As in, go away somewhere GOOD!
Ladies, my 25th anniversary is coming up next month! As my mother put it the other day, “Wow, you made it!” Thanks mommy! But seriously, it’s a big milestone and I’d love to be able to celebrate it by doing something really special.
For our 20th anniversary… we had a baby! LOL! Well, it was a few months prior but still, travelling was out of the question. We were barely able to make it out the door to go out to dinner. For our 25th anniversary, I told my husband that this time I want to go all out! As in, go away somewhere GOOD. We ended up agreeing on Miami, a pretty big undertaking since it means going away for at least a week and leaving 3 fairly young kids at home.
My husband, a real estate attorney, has been swamped at the office, so yours truly has been left to handle all arrangements, including a babysitter for the kids (we never use one so don’t exactly have one), finding a kosher hotel in Miami or one with kosher restaurants in the vicinity, and figuring out our itinerary, amongst other things. My husband rarely enjoys time off, so I really want this trip to be great for him. Then there’s the budget of course – minor detail 😊
Ladies, my 25th anniversary is coming up next month! As my mother put it the other day, “Wow, you made it!”
This is where I normally go into overwhelm/I-have-no-idea-what-to-do mode and basically blank out on even very obvious steps to take. It’s my knee jerk reaction. Sure enough, I spent a couple of days in this mode, not really doing anything to move things along. But then I remembered, stopped and very consciously switched into a different mode, one that our sages talk about, which I’ve been learning and trying to implement. “In the path that a person wishes to walk, there he is led.” – Makos 10/2. (Rabbah, son of Rav Huna quoted Rav Huna, and others said, Rav Huna quoted Rabbi Eliezer as saying: We know from the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings, that in the path a person wishes to walk, there he is led…)
This is such a powerful statement. I can’t get into the depth of its meaning in this article, but the bottom line is that whatever it is that a person chooses to do, they are Divinely assisted in that endeavor.
We ended up agreeing on Miami…
Right then and there, I sat down with my pen and notebook and mapped out exactly how I wanted this trip to go as well as the steps I needed to take in order to book everything: hiring a babysitter, getting tickets, spending some time with my mother who lives in the area, shopping and sightseeing, finding the right hotel, meeting up with friends, etc. Oh and of course – having the best time ever with my husband – another minor detail, ha, ha!
After mapping it all out, I took a very focused look at my vision and action steps and said to myself, “This is the vision and plan. I am going to make it happen to the best of my ability, without stressing or spending too much time on it. This is my vision and plan. Hashem can help me figure out every single detail and issue without any stress or overwork on my part. However, things turn out, I am sure we will have a wonderful time! Even if things don’t turn out exactly as we’d like, it’s FINE. I’m not dependent on this trip for ultimate happiness but it will be awesome to go.”
I then turned to Hashem, “Hashem, this is my vision and plan for our 25th anniversary. Please help me get there and thank You for all of the kindnesses, Divine assistance, free gifts, love and protection that you have bestowed upon us for our entire life and continue to bestow upon us every single day. Thank You!”
What happened next? Well, it is still unfolding but things have been falling into place in the most remarkable and surreal way. Next week, I’ll tell you all about it!
For now, I strongly encourage you to go out of your way before praying for something and get very focused on exactly what it is you want by thinking things through, getting clarity, and then writing it all down, including action steps. Next, ask for Divine assistance. Finally, after having prayed for it, step away from your desire and detach. You don’t have to HAVE anything. It’s all a gift. Trips and things are nice to have, but they are not ultimately about true happiness and fulfillment.
