Choices->Consequences->Experience->Wisdom

Every day, each of us makes a myriad of choices.  Some are positive and successful towards our goals; some are not.  Some we are aware of; some we make so passively and with such distraction, that we fail to connect our actions with the impact that they have upon us and upon others. There are people who blame everyone and everything else for their behavior: "He made me!", "She made me!", "I had no choice in the matter!", "It wasn't my fault!"   Sadly, these people become a victim of their own lives, for in failing to accept their power to choose, they intrinsically lose their power to change and improve their lives. On the positive side, there are people who 'own' the things they do and the choices they make, projecting a reliability and accountability that is actually palpable and reassuring to those who know such a person. The choice can be a word spoken, the level of our voice when we respond to someone, where we choose to live, a job, whom to marry, whether or not to attend a class, or simply what to order from a menu. But in all cases, whether we realize it or not, our choices have power.  Our choices create impact.  And our choices carry lessons by which we can master our lives, grow as individuals, and live more meaningfully than we ever imagined. Attached please find this weeks Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'VaYigash': "Choices->Consequences->Experience->Wisdom"      (click “Listen Now”, below!) May we all be blessed with the ability to recognize our choices in life, the humbleness to accept responsibility for those choices, and the enlightenment that comes from the natural lessons that our choices' results may teach us. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu