Love – Page 46 – Daily Muse

A Legacy of Love:Sara Bank~Sept 25, 1908-March 12,2011

Posted on March 14, 2011March 7, 2016 by Debra Taitel

In Loving Memory of my Grandma Sara Bank

“Before descending into this world, the soul is emanated from the mystery of the highest level. While in this world, she is completed and fulfilled by this lower world. Departing this world, she is filled with the fullness of all the worlds, the world above and the world below.” The Essential Kabbalah

On Friday September 25, 1908 as the Kaufman family was preparing for Rosh Hashana which would begin at sundown, Clara, my Great Grandmother, at 7 months pregnant was scrubbing the floors and went into labor. There was no time to get the Doctor so my Great Great Grandmother, Viniziana, delivered a miracle into the world. A little baby girl, her Grandaughter, my Grandma, Sara Bank (nee Kaufman.) As the story goes, being premature my GG Grandma knew the baby needed to stay extra warm so she wrapped her in cotton batting, put her in a roasting pan and into the oven. On her way to get the Doctor she ran down the street screaming “Clara had her baby, Clara had her baby!” I’ve never tired of hearing that story.

What makes the beginning of her story so poignant is that my Grandma could not wait to begin her journey of life & love and therefore it’s fitting that she wanted to stay for as long as possible on this earth. For well over 102 years my Grandma graced us with a beautiful presence. I feel very fortunate and blessed to have a Grandma whose spirit wanted so much to be a part of living, loving, sharing and caring for so long. In my Grandma’s eyes I could do no wrong. In fact, in her eyes, I’m perfect in every way and walk on water! I can’t even imagine what life will be without hearing “OOOOOO Debbie, I love you so much!’

I could tell you stories about sleep overs, going to see the Christmas lights and the live sheep in the nativity scene then McDonalds. I could tell you about the little game we played every Passover when she would sneak me pieces of my favorite Pastel then yell at me to stop eating it or there wouldn’t be enough, yet she’d actually made a smaller 2nd one. I could tell you how only a few month’s ago we were having breakfast and she said “Debbie, you know what I need? I need a boyfriend. A younger man cause anyone my age is just too old.” Yes I could go on and on with wonderful stories but what they all come down to is LOVE. Pure, all-encompassing LOVE!

My Grandma taught us how to love so deeply that it transcends everything. Her whole life was a love story. She taught us about the power of love. Not just any love but that unconditional love that we search for and is written about in sonnets. Of course she was human and bickered, held grudges, and there were some people she just plain didn’t like but lady that she was, she was always cordial; BUT when it came to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, well, we walked on water. and we ALL were her favorites. Personally, I think this is how a Grandma is supposed to be. Grandma’s understand unconditional love when it comes to their Grandchildren and Grandchildren experience and learn this love from their Grandma’s. It is the grandest legacy anyone can leave. The legacy of love.

These last few years I loved watching Gram watch US at family gatherings. She would sit and look around at all of us talking and just beam with joy. This past month I went to see her every other day and honestly I wouldn’t give back one moment of that time. I will cherish the day after we were told she probably wouldn’t make it until morning and I arrived to find her sitting in a chair smiling. That very day she beat me at gin….twice! Those Doctors didn’t know my Grandma! 🙂

We got to ‘hang out’ and had some very special loving moments. Those moments allowed us many many kisses and time to tell each other I love you and that everything would be OK when she decided to leave. In the end, no regrets, nothing left unsaid, only LOVE.

The earlier quote from the Kabbalah said that the soul is emanated from the mystery of the highest level. That mystery is LOVE. Grandma lived that love and passed it on to US and to all who knew her. My Grandma left fulfilled, loved and complete. She departed this world filled with the fullness of all the worlds, the world above and the world below….the world of love.

In loving memory of my Grandma Sara. She is dancing with the angels and walking hand in hand with her beloved, my Grandpa. I love you Grandma!

SpiritLightInsight.com

“I love you, no matter what!”

Posted on February 12, 2011July 29, 2012 by Debra Taitel

The following post was written and posted by a student on her blog after attending my LOVE: Let it Flow meditation workshop. I loved it so much that with her permission I’m re-posting her photos & personal thoughts about what she discovered. She took the pics while walking home after the workshop….the universe works in wonderful ways! Thank you Claire!!!

(I took the above picture walking home from the el today; it was part of hundreds of valentines strung along the fence at a local school. Thank you, anonymous student!)

“…and whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should.”

I shared this quote a few days ago when I felt lost — when I couldn’t find the energy to tell you so in my own voice. Simple as that. I was having a difficult time believing that anything was unfolding, much less the Universe. I felt stopped up and stuck, kicking and screaming at the bottom of the proverbial winter doldrums barrel. Perhaps that sounds a bit melodramatic — but it wasn’t a great week.

Then I saw the Max Ehrmann quote, and it gave me pause. I knew something was unfolding, even if it was happening in the background and was not yet clear to me. And I had to have faith that given time, patience, intuition, and the love of the Universe, I’d be clued back in when the time was right.

As you may have guessed, the time was right today.

I went to a meditation workshop this afternoon at Yoga Now, lead by the bright and vibrant Debbie Taitel. It was, in keeping with the upcoming “holiday,” a meditation workshop about love. Was there chocolate to be passed around and chit chat about potential Monday evening plans? Of course. But the real focus of the afternoon was about love as an energy, love as a vibration, and the love that we have for ourselves. After all, if you don’t have authentic love for yourself, how do you give it out to anyone or anything else? Common sense, right?

Debbie asked us if we loved ourselves unconditionally. I was in the front row and didn’t look behind me, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who shook my head “no.” Which, truth be told, breaks my heart. (Oh em gee, no pun intended!) Do you love yourself unconditionally? Do we even know what that means? In various ways, I feel like I’ve said this all before. We compare, we measure, we “should” ourselves to death. We say, “I could’ve done better,” or “I hate it when I…” or “I’ll never be…” You can play that game all day long. But what about unconditionally loving our humanness?

I’m not saying that we should naively sail on through our lives, patting ourselves on the back and exclaiming our unrelenting fabulousness. That’s not love; I don’t even know what that is (maybe narcissistic personality disorder?)! What I am saying is to love our beings, to love this unfolding, even when it feels less than desirable (to put it mildly). As I was walking home from the workshop, I felt my mind begin to play its regular games; the self-doubt, the self-criticism. I was judging decisions I had made about the day, about my weekend, decisions that, when it comes down to it, hold very little bearing on the grand scheme of things. And right there, crossing the street, I thought to myself, “I love you, no matter what.”

I love you, no matter what.

But just because I said it once (or twice) doesn’t mean from here on out, I’m good to go. Building a true love for ourselves takes time, I think. And I know that I have a tendency to tie my blog posts up into nice little bows, but I don’t have a bow today. I do, however, have a different perspective of what I’m capable of. And isn’t that how change begins? The idea of loving myself and loving my process of “being” unconditionally is one of those propositions that makes my head hurt because I just can’t.completely.grasp.it. Kind of like astronomy, which I took twice (for fun, both times) and still do not understand. It’s just…out there. Literally! 😉

That being said, the Universe is unfolding as it should, in the same way that I am unfolding as I should (not “should”)…even when I have weeks that make me feel like I’m moving backwards rather than forwards. I am moving how I need to move. I would not have gone to that workshop today if I wasn’t ready, in some capacity, to strengthen the love that I have for myself and for my human experience.

So…I’m going to try.