Although most of us experience miracles every day of our lives, many do not acknowledge how fascinating they are. Waking up each day, noticing the blue sky, the rainy weather or snowflakes falling from the sky are all signs of miracles. We have become so accustomed to these everyday occurrences that they are rarely acknowledged. So what if it is sunny outside, as most things that we wish to do these days are out of our reach? The white of snow to many only means slippery roads, messy floors and the possibility of snow days (maybe not anymore).
There are so many forms of miracles that we have lived through without even realizing it. I remember the days when children were not taken to playgrounds with their parents for fear of them catching the polio virus. I saw boys and girls being walked along the sidewalk with long white walking sticks; these were students at the Ontario School for the Blind in Brantford, Ontario. The majority of those kids were born while their mothers had German measles during pregnancy and were being taught how to walk on their own. With the dedicated work of scientists and physicians throughout the world, German measles and polio have become rare occurrences today in our modern-day families.
There will shortly be a generation growing up who has never heard of polio. Every child today living in our country is offered the Salk or Sabin vaccines. Iron lungs are no longer of necessity in the United States. Vaccines for measles and German measles (Rubella) in the MMR are readily available, and in most places unless children are vaccinated they are not able to attend school.
I think that each of us who survives the latest, greatest medical tragedy of our generation can consider ourselves miracles. How lucky are those of us who are still alive! Any of us, despite our masks and our social distancing and many other precautions, still stand the chance of getting the horrific COVID-19 virus. We are not done. It is not over. But the miracle of a vaccine is happening. This is yet another miracle that we are able to observe and witness. We are looking toward the light at the end of what has been a very long, dark tunnel.
Our family has witnessed the devastation that this virus can cause to a human being. Every special soul that passed away in our community should be memorialized, to never be forgotten, as they were such innocent victims of this 2020 horror.
Once this mageifa (plague) is over, and it does look like it will happen sooner rather than later, we need to celebrate as a community with tefillah and song and dance.
I cannot fathom why anyone would hesitate to take the vaccine. What could be worse than dying from COVID itself? Someone show me the line: I am ready to get on it. This is probably the only instance that I can remember where I am allowing anyone to call me a senior and accepting the term. Yes, I am: Show me the way to this miracle of 2020!
Happy Chanukah!
By Nina Glick
