It Takes A Village To Show What Teamwork Really Is!

This weekend I had an epiphany. This sudden, intuitive insight came to me at the bowl-a-thon Fundraiser for my 21-year-old nephew Matthew, who needs a liver transplant and the money that insurance refuses to cover for this life saving procedure.

This event was supported by friends, neighbors, co-workers, local business owners, local newspapers, local religious organizations, radio stations and many more. Even professional sports stars and celebrities from LI volunteered to attend and help. Now it may be hard to look at Long Island as a village, as it is bigger than many Midwestern cities, but the camaraderie and support  given at this event brought a tear to my eye.

From the time when erect man first walked on this Earth till now, the world has been about “wants versus needs” and providing for those within your circle.   Figuratively speaking...

1. Some people draw a ring around themselves.
2. Some people draw a ring around their spouses and children.
3. Some people draw a larger ring to also include their parents.
4. And some people draw an even larger ring to include other family members and close friends.

When I moved to East Meadow, a nice lady from my temple welcomed my wife and son and me by saying, “We are VERY, very  happy to see you. Welcome to the family!”

So at that point I decided to draw my circle around East Meadow. And over the years I have let my actions and community involvement speak louder than my... sometimes too often...VERY LOUD words. But this just shows the level of commitment, caring, passion and respect I have for Our neighborhood and it’s residents. And my son, with all his extreme volunteerism, puts me to shame. It is sort of like the tree and the acorn that grows even higher .

Nevertheless, I was amazed this weekend at the generosity towards this  fundraiser of businesses struggling to survive in this economy. I was awed at the altruism towards this fundraiser of people whether they were out of work themselves or not. And I was astounded at the goodhearted teamwork  towards this fundraiser of people with busy dizzy schedules willing to volunteer their time . It was like watching one–armed Jim Abbott play for the NY Yankees.

He transcended his negatives and accentuated the positives to the delights of those he was affiliated with. And it was sweet to receive these fantastic gifts from the people of East Meadow and Long Island, as opposed  to giving them (which I had done so often in the past) . It made me feel soooo special and toasty warm inside, as silly as that might sound.

The truth is, living this world is about life lessons, from the beginning till the end-(And I apologize that this may sound hokey, but this is kind on my mantra.)

                           Teamwork keeps You Together,

                           Happiness keeps You Joyful,

                           Trials keeps You Strong,

                           Sorrows keep You Human,

                           Sharing keeps You Peaceful,

                           Failures keeps You Humble,

                           Success keeps You Satisfied,

                           But only

                           Caring keeps You Going!

Thank You Long Island!

It’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood....WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?