Blue Square. The Passover celebration in the Jewish community began last night — April 5. Celebrants ate a Seder dinner. Some will have a second Seder tonight. The celebration continues until April 13. I wish all a Happy Passover.
I have been made aware of the Blue Square developed by the Stand Up to Jewish Hate organization. The square is 2.4 % of a television screen. It represents the fact that the Jewish community is 2.4 % of our population. The image is meant to call attention to the fact that 55% of religious inspired hate crimes are against the Jewish community. Most people are unaware of the extent of antisemitism and believe Jews can handle any problem they face regarding antisemitism.
Unfortunately, antisemitism is not a new phenomenon. The Spanish were among the first to use the term race. In the 1400’s they used the term to separate Christians from the Jewish “race” and then to demean Jews.
I intend to do what I can to support the Stand Up to Jewish Hate movement.
Another Lesson. As sacred as Passover is to the Jewish community, Easter is equally sacred to Christians. Each year I take the Lenten and Easter season as a time to give serious thought to my faith walk. This year the miracle of surviving a bad wreck was part of my reflections. Another major event occurred that was a reminder of my human weakness, the need for forgiveness and the need to be more trusting.
When I got our check from State Farm for the destroyed vehicle, I took it to our bank to deposit. I needed the money to pay the Honda dealership for the new car. The bank told me there would be a hold on a deposit of that size and it might take up to seven days.
I needed the money in four days, so I was a little panicked. The check was written to another bank, so my banker suggested I go to that bank and get cash and bring it back to deposit. There would be no hold on cash.
I went to the other bank, but they would not cash the check. It was written for deposit. I did not have an account with them and did not want to open one. I started getting tense.
I returned to my bank and decided to deposit the check and take my chances with the hold. A bean-counting teller told me I could not deposit the check because it was made out to Jerry Williams and my driver’s license said Jeral Williams. Before this time, I had cashed many checks made out to Jerry Williams.
I was livid. I expressed my disfavor in an angry, self-righteous manner. I suggested I would be changing banks. She quickly went to work contacting State Farm. I took the check and went home.
When I got home State Farm called. They suggested a direct deposit of the money. That would mean no hold, no delay. The teller’s denial led to a path that quickly solved my problem. My anger was wrong. If I had been a little more trusting I could have been a more effective witness to the teller.
Another Easter, another lesson: another reminder of my humanity!
Women’s Basketball. Despite the success of Alabama basketball this year, football obviously remains the top sport in Alabama. However, basketball has been the most important sport in my life. I like football but lack the ability to recall who was the national champion in 1957. However, I can clearly recall Len Rosenbluth leading North Carolina to the NCAA championship in a triple overtime win over Wilt Chamberlin and the Kansas Jayhawks in 1957.
In recent years I have supported and followed women’s sports. This year, for the very first time in my life, I was more interested in the Women’s NCAA Championship Final Four than in the men’s championship.
I earned my PhD from Iowa, so I was certainly rooting for the Hawkeyes. In addition, Caitlin Clark is outstanding and great fun to watch. She is only a junior. I look forward to watching her next year.
Good News
Courage and tenacity
College Student Pushes Past Nerve Disorder To Graduate With Four Degrees (sunnyskyz.com)
Hero
‘This Angel Came Out Of Nowhere’: Passerby Saves Grandma From Burning Home (sunnyskyz.com)
Breaks a lot of stereotypes – good for them!
High School Students Make Mathematical Discovery Unproven For 2,000 Years (sunnyskyz.com)
Peace
Jerry
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