Seventeen

Today is my birthday and I feel compelled to write before it ends. It was a wonderful day from start to finish, with multiple cakes (the joys of boarding school), a brand new book, roughly fifty happy birthdays in person and on facebook, and a happy birthday text message at midnight last night from one of my dearest friends, who got delayed traveling back to school after he went away for the weekend but wanted to make sure to wish me happy birthday.

I am so loved by friends and family, and I have so much...so much.

I am so lucky.

I want to share with the world too.

And so I donated a large portion of my birthday money to Heifer International.

I am not posting this to be congratulated.

I'm not even sure where this post is going.

I just want to point out that as our children eat pink-frosted birthday cakes someone else's child is starving for protein.

We can help. We can work to end world hunger (and slavery and etc. but let's focus on one at a time).

Jewish tradition teaches: "Save a life and you have saved the world. Destroy a life and you have destroyed the world."

Jewish tradition also teaches that if you "stand idly by the blood of your neighbor" you have in essence killed him/her.

Let's not destroy the world by inaction. Let's join together to save it.