Small Sparks of Love

This morning, after dropping my oldest off at his kindergarten, I decided to stop at a salad bar on the way home and treat myself to a fresh and healthy salad for breakfast instead of a tub of Ben & Jerry's. On my way out of the salad bar, I saw a very young looking Hatzala Medic sitting on his scooter, talking on his cellphone, probably to his wife, as I heard him say "I love you very much" before hanging up.

As I looked at him, I got a sudden rush of images of what his life must be like. A young wife at home. Maybe she's expecting their first child or maybe they already have a couple of young children. Maybe he's trained as a carpenter, a plumber, a lawyer or a doctor. Maybe he has a private practice as a therapist or he runs a catering business. The one thing that I know for sure, is that he has his beeper on him at all times, whether it be a Sunday morning, a Tuesday late at night, a Shabbat morning or an Erev Chag (the eve of a holiday). He is on call 24/7, ready to respond to any kind of trauma, whether it be a nasty car accident, a suicide bombing, a stabbing or a shooting.

I returned back to reality and was suddenly filled with a tremendous sense of awe and gratitude to this young man who is literally at the center of all the bloodshed our tiny beautiful country is facing right now. The tremendous mesirut nefesh (dedication) and love that this man and so many other Hatzala volunteers and their families show for their people is beyond incredible...

"I must get him something small to show my appreciation", I thought to myself, praying that he wouldn't drive off before I could. I ran into the closest bakery and bought him an ice coffee. As I ran out the door, he had already backed up on his scooter and was about to drive off. 
"Excuse me!" I called out. 
"Yes?" he answered
"I saw you sitting here and I just had to show you my deep appreciation for the incredible work that you're doing for our Nation."
"What work do I do?" he asks humbly.
"Your tremendous work with Hatzala". He smiled. 
"I am so in awe of all of you incredible Hatzala guys, your wives, your families.So here's my small token of appreciation for you. This ice coffee is for you"
"Wow! Thank you so much!", he responded. 
I walked away from that exchange feeling like a million bucks and I'm sure he was touched by the gesture.

Showing Hakarat HaTov( being grateful), especially during dark times like these for our people, can add small sparks of love and hope into the deep darkness that seems to be surrounding us right now. 

To my beautiful Nation, Am Yisrael, express as much Hakarat HaTov to as many people as you can, as often as you can. It'll make you feel warm and fuzzy inside and you will touch the heart of the person on the receiving end.

Am Yisrael Chai!

With Love,
Cigal

***Note: The stress, fear and anxiety of the last few weeks have caused many people, present company included, to resort to stress eating, hence the comment about a tub of Ben & Jerry's.