The Bluebirds on my Balcony

I look out my window and what do I see?

A nest of bluebirds on my balcony.

They twitter and tatter, they sound so sweet,

They pitter and patter with their tiny feet.

The bluebirds on my balcony.

They are learning to fly those little birds,

They are learning to fly as I observe.

Their father calls but they don’t stretch their wings,

Instead they are busy with all kinds of things.

The bluebirds on my balcony.

Even though they feel their wings are so tired,

Their father encourages them to fly even higher,

He expects so much from his children below,

Because He wants them to spread their wings and grow.

The bluebirds on my balcony.

He comes down to them to help them soar,

But they peck at him to give them more and more.

I am sure he wants to give them everything,

But he knows it’s best when they stretch their own wings.

The bluebirds on my balcony.

They don’t realize why their father is waiting,

A yearning inside them he is creating,

He doesn’t give in because he knows they can succeed,

When they put in effort, they’ll get all they need.

The bluebirds on my balcony.

The lesson I learn from the birds on my balcony,

Is that it's our effort, our Father is waiting to see.

We are learning to fly, it’s quite a challenging task,

Trying to fulfill what our Father in Heaven asks.

He calls to us, but we don’t always proceed,

We just think about the things that we need,

But, it's our effort He is waiting to see.

And although we keep asking our Father for more,

Our Father in Heaven simply wants us to soar,

I’m sure He’d like to give us everything we need,

A father can’t bear his child’s suffering and pleas,

But it's our effort He is waiting to see.

Our Father is creating a yearning deep within,

That we should desire to fly closer toward Him.

It’s not easy, yet we have to keep on trying

In order to flap our wings and keep on flying.

Yes, it's our effort He is waiting to see.

I trust He does not want to leave us without,

But, He wants it to be our efforts that bring it about.

He expects so much because He knows we can achieve,

Yagati Umatzasi Ta’amin, I believe,

Yes, it's our effort He is waiting to see.

I Used to Dream But Now I Know

I Used to Dream, But Now I Know

As a child…

I used to dream I was a princess in a palace so grand

That my very own father was king of the entire land

Even if I could not see my father all the time

I knew that everything was forever good and fine

As an adult…

I realize as Bnos Yisroel we are all princesses, its true

Our Father is The King of all Kings, Hakadosh Baruch Hu

Even though we can’t see Him and He seems far away,

I know He watches over and cares for us night and day

I dreamt that…

The girls of the town would sometimes laugh at me

Because I looked and acted so differently

I knew that as a princess I was above the rest

The king expects his children to be the very best

I realize now…

The rest of the world thinks we are strange and bizarre

Our lifestyle is different from theirs, by far

But as Bnos Melech we know we must strive higher

Every mitzvah that we do fulfills Hashem’s desires

I dreamt that…

It was hard to be different, yet inside I knew

That royalty had to be reflected in all that I do

“That’s the king’s daughter” people would say aloud

And all I really wanted was to make my father proud

I realize now…

It is hard to be different, yet we all know what is right

That Tznius in thought speech and action, makes the world more bright

It should be obvious to others that we are daughters of Hashem

Kol kevudah bas melech penimah, we are different from them!

Reality

Although it’s true, the world around us differs,

there are those that like to believe it,

that we as Chassidim are far removed,

from “reality” as they conceive it.

Without movies, sports and television,

we are considered ancient and old fashioned,

no magazines, and no trashy novels,

where is our life, our passion?

We look so strange and foriegn to them,

dressed in “Chassidic garb” with full beards.

Different customs and ideology,

we’re definitely what they’d call “weird.”

Some think we’re out of touch with reality,

that we live in another world.

But if you look beyond the surface,

I ask you, are we the ones that are absurd?

What gauge is used to measure success?

Is it the number of people who know your name?

Or how much you have in the bank?

It seems it depends on money, honor and fame.

It’s the rich and famous who are adored.

They’re at the top of modern society,

Involved in entertainment fashion, and sports.

let’s look closer and see “is this reality?

Actors and actresses are paid for just that,

to act, to pretend, to get the most views,

they become something that they are not.

They create an image of something untrue.

Fashion is all about looking so pretty,

new clothes and accessories every season.

What’s in style today is out tomorrow,

there is no real purpose or reason.

It’s all about the outer appearance,

The models need to look just right.

Their inner beauty doesn’t matter at all,

just as long as their clothes fit tight.

Although each fan wants his team to win,

sports is what it claims to be, it’s just play,

because by the time next year comes along,

It really won’t matter who won today.

These are staples of the secular culture,

this isn’t real, it’s a false existence.

Which is why I feel so fortunate,

that as Chassidim we keep our distance.

Ashreinu, that we know and understand,

We have a reality which is much more real.

G-dliness is the ultimate truth,

even if it’s not something you can touch or feel.

Our job is to focus on spreading Torah,

making the world a place of morality.

We can make it brighter one step at a time,

and bring Moshiach into REALITY!

(written January 2007)

When Words Can’t Say Enough

When Words Can’t Say Enough

Where can I start? What can I say?

To someone who has helped me in so many ways?

Thank you is not enough, it can not convey,

The feelings that I feel, the words I want to say.

But when I want to tell you, when I try express,

My appreciation for you, it just comes out a mess.

My words just trip and fumble; my feelings are so deep,

They just come out jumbled in one mumbled heap.

I know that I can never repay the kindness that you do,

There is just one way, just one thing I can do:

Pay it forward, pass the kindness on,

Do for someone else, what you, for me, have done.

When I help someone else, I know that it’s you,

Who motivates me, and your words speak through.

I never can show you how much you mean to me,

I can only pass it on, help someone else in need.

My actions are yours, my energies you inspire,

Because of your efforts, mine will never tire.

You give me the strength to do everything I do,

When I pass it forward, it’s how I say thank you!

Thank you!

(dedicated to all of my teachers and specifically to my mashpia)