Doing A Mitzvah

More and more I have noticed that people I know are doing good deeds for people in their community. A mitzvah, in the Jewish tradition, is a good deed, and Jews are encouraged to do good deeds, like help neighbors, give to charity, help the poor, etc. The Golden Rule tells us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Doing good deeds is a universal sign of good character. Our population is aging, and seniors need more help in getting around, socializing, shopping. Everywhere I turn I find people helping people. It makes me feel that all is not lost in this crazy world. My neighbor Rose takes a senior neighbor out for lunch twice a month. There is another neighbor who helps this same senior by taking her shopping for food once a week. My friend Kathy takes her senior neighbor to the 99cent store every Sunday morning. It's her favorite place to shop, and she looks forward to it all week. My friend Audrey takes her neighbor shopping whenever she has time. Another friend of mine takes a senior who doesn't drive to the doctor when needed. My mom, although quite senior herself, takes friends who don't drive to appointments, out for lunch, or visits them in their homes. If we all did one small thing every month to help seniors, shut ins, or anyone in need, imagine what a difference it would make! The impact it makes on the senior receiving the help is priceless. My mom used to work with an organization that mentored seniors. She had two or three senior clients at a time (often she was older than them, but they needed her help) whom she helped organize finances, deal with personal problems, helped them find solutions to any problem they were having. They looked forward to her weekly visits, and so did she. It was a win/win situation. They were getting some help in solving problems they were unable to deal with, and she was getting to help someone that really needed her. We all need help some time in our lives, some of us more than others. Remember that next time you take your senior neighbor to the market, you've done a mitzvah, and if you don't do any good deeds, at least you now know what a mitzvah is! (I know that everyone reading this blog does mitzvah's everyday) I finished writing this blog at 10am and wondered to myself what good deed I could do for someone. I didn't have to wait long to find out. At 10:30AM I took Pepper for a short walk. I walked past the home of a neighbor who is a bridge playing friend of mine. His wife came out to tell me that Arthur has brain cancer, and has three months to live. I spoke with her for quite a while, and knew immediately what my mitzvah would be. I am going to help her through this and beyond. She is so frightened. Her children live far away, so I will hopefully be some comfort. Life is crazy.