Do you have a motto?

Forgot to post this yesterday: Last night I had the good fortune to attend a beautiful celebration honoring three people who have been long time volunteers in our community. I was born into this community, so I have lived in it as a child, a youngster, a teen, a “young lady”, a young married, a wife and mother, and now an elder. Many of those who I grew up with have drifted away from our community, some have died, and now newcomers, or should I say later-comers have taken their place as my friends and respected colleagues. Many of our later-comers, like those being honored last night, have traveled a long road, both literally and figuratively, to have arrived at this place. All of them born in other countries, they fled-- away from danger, and to what they hoped would be a better life for them and for their children. Their gratitude for what they have been given--the opportunity to earn, to learn, and to prosper has made them people who help others, who volunteer, who have vision beyond their own needs and wants, and who are happy to share. The couple who were honored told me that their motto is “To give more than to take”, and each of the three recipients of our synagogues highest honor exemplifies this in how they live and work with people. How fortunate I feel to call them friends, and how honored I am to be in their lives and to have them in mine. Congratulations, Hamid, Mireille and Saul.