Why? Because for over 32 years - More than 2/3 of my life, I sucked on and inhaled poison. Intentionally! Some of you still do. If this speaks to you, quit. That's all I am going to say on this exact matter.
I am, however, going to address one issue that is left over from that STUPID habit, addiction, disease, idiocy, SFB (READ: s**t for brains), thing called smoking, and that is the fact that I destroyed my lungs. And because I did, I use certain medications in an inhalation machine on a daily basis, and if I cannot use my machine? Not a good thought. I also travel and carry oxygen with me, but that's another story for another day.
Let's talk about my machine. STOP! WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH HANDS? OR A HAND?? OR WHATEVER YOU SAID, ABRAMS?
I knew that right about now, you'd be asking, so I will cut to the chase and in just a few words let you know that my machine, in Israel, requires an electrical transformer. I bought a regular $30 transformer before I left the States and had been told by the manufacturer that it would be adequate. They were wrong and so was I. What I needed was not just a regular transformer like what would be used for a cellphone or MP3 player, but apparently one used normally for items like Washing Machines or Clothes Dryers. I found this out by using the regular transformer to do a breathing treatment and having the machine turn off after 3 minutes.
Now I was stuck. It was late Friday afternoon when I learned this, and Shabbat was rapidly approaching. What was I going to do? How long could my tiny battery operated airplane machine last doing triple duty?
Quickly I called my good friend, Nomi Teplow (yes. THAT Nomi Teplow. Yes. The internationally famous recording artist, Nomi Teplow - HER--Yes. She's a friend of mine. Yeah, she's as nice as she seems in interviews. Yes, her voice really IS that good...) and she told me about an organization in Israel called YAD SARAH, or in English, SARAH'S HAND. YAD SARAH helps people. All people. And, they do it for free. You heard me. They help people at no cost.
Yad Sarah has 103 branches throughout Israel run by more than 6,000 volunteers, and saves the Israeli economy about $320 million a year in hospitalization and medical costs. Yad Sarah`s best-known service is the lending of medical and rehabilitative equipment on a short-term basis free of charge to anyone who needs it - from a stock of over 250,000 items, from crutches and wheelchairs to oxygen concentrators and electronic monitors.
Today, YAD SARAH, with no more than my Arizona Driver's License number, loaned me a compatible nebulizer for the balance of my stay. And it was absolutely free to me.
If you are able to give this year, or this month or... Yad Sarah would be happy to allow you to help them help others. They may be found at http://www.yadsarah.org/.
--------------
From the "Interesting Fact Department" - - - Sunday in Israel is like Monday in the States. People work, kids go to school, life restarts. The week waits for Shabbat and in Jerusalem, Shabbat is ever the Queen that the poetry dictates. For Moslems, Friday is El Juma, the day of prayer and because of this, and adding into the equation that we must be finished with all of our work early in the afternoon, many businesses treat Friday as the first day of the weekend, creating a five day work week.
--------------
I had hoped to get to Jerusalem's Mountains today, but rain and very cold weather knocked out that plan. Like we say in Arizona: Manana.
--------------
I finally turned on the television late last night and found a great channel on Israeli Cable. Its called 24 Musica. Sort of like... No, exactly like the old VH-1, save for the programming being all Israeli Music Videos. The videos are mostly concert footage, and rarely do they appear to be like US music videos, in that I am pretty sure that one does not need to be stoned to understand or appreciate these. They also had a show on this afternoon called ילדות רעות, literally translated to mean "Bad Girls". It was like an Israeli version of 90201 or One Tree Hill, but with lots of swearing. Same production quality, though. Ouch!
When you come here next, though, do NOT miss אח הגדול, BIG BROTHER VIP. Tonight was the premiere of a new season and there were hundreds of people standing out in the rain watching has-been celebrities walk the red carpet while on their way to be locked in for 12 weeks.
I did tell you that it has REALLY been raining, did I not? I don't really miss TV that much.
In this tiny country of 7,184,000 citizen residents, that live in an area smaller than that of the State of New Jersey, and surrounded by over 300 Million Arabs in 21 different countries, many would say that it is, but by the grace of G-d himself that Israel remains a sovereign nation. A nation that lives in a state of a constant security and readiness, yet a country that is able to carry out normal daily routines while maintaining a tremendous sense of humor and commitment to its citizenry, as well as a commitment to the Torah and the entire Jewish world.
I applaud you for joining me in prayer that the new government being formed by the Honourable Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Party is able to continue the peace process while saving our dignity, the world's respect for us as a People as well as our military, and lastly the land promised to us by G-d and protected by the blood of our children for thousands of years.
I pray for the safety of our children serving in the IDF that protect our borders by land, air and sea and I join all of Klal Yisrael and the free world in praying for the safe return of Gilad Shalit, who has been held by the black arm of terror for over Nine Hundred and Eighty Days. I implore you to please do the same.
From the City of David, I wish you a goodnight.
Ahavah u'Vrachot...Love and Blessings always.
--Alan
Some references to Yad Sarah are Courtesy of Yad Sarah and have been used without express permission.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment