His army time my dad served in the air force  and was an excellent  pilot. Once his best friend told me that my dad was flying  in his little plane like a bird of prey , without any fear or restraint .  Now they both were in the reserve for some very special tasks. In spite of life’s challenges, my dad was always cheerful  and encouraged ; to be around him was a true delight … but now he looked distressed. We both sat down near my mom’s hospital bed and waited for the doctor

I never asked my parents for a brother or a sister. I was happy to be their only child. Even though I wasn’t pretty, nor smart, neither did I have any particular talent, I could still feel loved every day. And especially I loved those moments, when my mom would take me on her lap and dive into her memories. “When you were born, - She would recall, - I saw a big rainbow  above your head and heard the voice saying: “I have set apart this child for Myself and I’m jealous  for My

Holidays and ordinary days  come to us together in the same package  of life . They are taking turns, replacing each other with constant regularity. Their repeated exchange  represents our life  circulation.     Holidays  in particular are there like special stations  to stop and rest from a weary movement. Their main function is to make us look for the extraordinary… Right before an entrance of a holiday , life  usually accelerates , as though people need to get things done

My mom came in to kiss  me good night and sat down on the edge of my bed. "You have a big day tomorrow,” she said and paused, “I'm so excited about your performance; you have a real gift  from above."  Her whole face brightened up.            I felt like a little boy and asked her, "Where did you kiss  dad for the first time?" "Right on the stairs of your music school.  That building looked like a royal palace and your father was a charming prince ,” was her answer. "And…did

Born to shine Part One My dad always loved my mom, but I have never seen her. She died giving birth to me. Since the day I was born, he became both a father and a mother. We lived out in nature, near a small village . Dad worked as a vine grower  in one of the vineyards  around. On our little plot of land , he was cultivating vegetables, mainly cabbage  and celery , our primary food. We both enjoyed our peaceful, simple life. Behind our house was a beautiful meadow  full of f

Our family was very poor , but it wasn’t always the case. Mom was a descendant of a very rich religious family. Her father owned a lot of property  and rented it with interest . His revenue  was enough to provide for the whole family in abundance. Their level  of living was pretty high for those times. Their house was filled with a very expensive furniture , made exclusively  for them... But times changed and another authority, which came to power had my grandfather assassina

Seat of Justice     Trilogy     Part One                           I was still a young boy when my father got promoted into the office  of a chief judge  in the regional court . Being his only son, I carried a heavy weight  of expectations on my shoulders: expectations to live a noble life. And of course my father was the one to define that noble life for me. “You are very privileged to be born into this exceptional family.” - I heard almost every morning, - You have been ass

It was a beginning of a rainy  day. I had neither desire, nor energy  to leave my bed and go into that dump, grey reality  outside… Suddenly an idea lighted my mind: What if I simply rebel  against life’s demands today and put  them all off  till tomorrow?” I closed my eyes to disappear  into my pleasant dream; my whole body relaxed; my thoughts started to slow down.  But in a twinkling of an eye  my invention  already collapsed , as I ‘ve heard tensed  voice of my mother: “D

An Open Door   Trilogy     Part One              I was on my  way  out.      "Wait a second," said my mom, catching me at the  door . She stood on tiptoe to kiss me on the forehead, then, looking at me with admiration, she declared, "I'm so proud of you! Your last year of school. Life is before you, son."     And I went on my familiar  road  to school.      After summer vacation, our school yard and the school building looked smaller, as if they shrank -- or maybe they stayed

Usually, a  birthday  is a long- awaited  day for every  child.  They mark the date of that most  special  event on a calendar and invite their friends,  expecting  pleasant surprises. They prepare to demonstrate their achievements and  hope  to receive praise. Then after a certain age, people relate to their  birthdays  differently: they have already heard all the wishes and enjoyed all possible surprises. Every coming  birthday   presents  another year they must  add  to th

With the wind blowing in my face, I was riding my horse …faster and faster. The still life was left far behind… I was on the move, courageously moving forward into my future!  And then the carousel would stop.     I looked at my grandmother  sitting on the bench  and pleaded: "Can I please have another round ?" Instead of simply nodding her head, she responded: "You've been turning  non-stop for a long time already; come sit with me for a minute; you also need a break". I kne

Gen.1:17-19     "…male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them: Be faithful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it… Then God said: "I give you every seed -bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed  in it. They will be yours for food ".     We come into this world, carrying a seed  of our fathers, passed through generations. This little seed  represents our identity . In some cases, it gets cultivat

We all go through life with the word  good  on our tongue.  Good  morning. Have a  good  journey! He's got a  good  reputation. These are  good  jeans to wear. Just  taste ! It's so  good ! Let us all hope for the  good.  Does it seem  good  to you? Wishing you a  good  whatever it may be.     What is  good exactly ? Does everything have  good  in it? Is our common good a real thing? Is your  good  and my  good  automatically the same? What if different people have opposite 

No, not to boast … I only want to introduce myself! I am a person you would love to meet and even more – to become friends with.  From my early age, I assumed a role of a producer  in life, I make things happen. I got to choose all the special effects  and the tricks , as well as scenery and decorations . I’m not naïve , I understand that real life can have some crooked turns , but I’m clever  enough to avoid them. I am my own chief  and my own inspector . I’m a lavish spende

If you think learning  is challenging, try to be a teacher …     One day I was standing in a college yard and a group of guys drew my attention. I was fascinated  by their appearance .  Their clothes  had all foreign brands  and looked fine and polished  all over. They all seemed to me especially bright  and blooming. They looked so united and even soldered together ; I mean:  they all seem to understand each other in some special way. I kept staring at them in fascination … 

I was  walking  towards -- I don't remember, but does it matter really? At a certain point, I approached the fork in the road and  hesitated , not knowing which way to take.      Indecisive , I started  to contemplate  and  ponder  on my journey in this life, trying to discover  logic  someplace. I  enjoyed  simply  being present  in the  present  moment.     I was slowly absorbing the surrounding reality. It started growing on the inside of me till it  impregnated  my inner

Somewhere in a little village lived a man with three sons. The boys grew, and the man got older. One day they all sat down at the table, and the man held a little ancient  hook  in his hand.    "Father, what's the point of keeping this? It's too old; it will easily break! You should replace it with a new one," asserted the oldest.           "Oh, we can find a use for this someday," endorsed his second son. "Plus, it's a memory."           "Why are you keeping it, father? Is t

My father was a military man, and he was rarely home. Every time he would come for a vacation, my mom would be busy cleaning  and ironing  his uniform while I had a chance to see a movie with him. I especially loved those action Superman  movies. The story was not as important to me as the hero , who was typically a man , a fighter who confronted evil in one way or another. He was tall , handsome, audacious, and determined to win. He had higher  aspirations for life than ordi