Your son is ok in Heaven

A Chabad Chosid was standing on line to have a yechidus –private audience, with the Rebbe. He saw that the person before him was waiting in line so hurt and broken. It seemed as despair was all that could be read upon this man’s face. The Chosid resolved to speak to this man as soon as his audience with the Rebbe was finished. After the Chosid’s audience was over he set about to find the man that stood before him in the line. He was grateful to see that a new spirit was upon the man’s face. He introduced himself to the man and said, “I could not help but notice the despair upon your face as you stood before me on the line.” The man began to tell his story.

“I lost my son, and since his death just could not go on. I hoped that time would heal, but everyday was just as the day of the funeral. I searched amongst the wise and saintly leaders for comfort and direction but found none. Tonight, I have come to the Rebbe for guidance and comfort. The Rebbe said to me as follows, ‘If your son was well but taken away that you could not see him, would you be able to live with that?’ To which I responded, definitely, it to would be painful, however, it would be livable.’ The Rebbe then continued, “and if you were told that you may send your son care-packages and be guaranteed that he would receive them and that they would be of good use, would you send packages?’ ‘Why, of course,’ I replied. The Rebbe than looked me deep in my eyes and said, ‘I assure you that your son is okay in Heaven, and I assure you that your care-packages will reach him and be of good use. Send him a Kaddish, Mishnayos, and charity.’”
“For the first time since the death of my son, despair was lifted from my heart,” concluded the man. “Yes, it is very painful that I cannot physically see him, hear him, and hug him, but I know now that he is okay, and a new form of communication can exist.”
(Rabbi Yitchak Lifshitz)

Give me, Give Me

A member of our community has lots of challenges in his personal andbusiness life. On the top his list of Tzoris is that he is a teenagedaughter (Sheva) who is mentally challenged. She is a functioning girl andcan communicate but challenged none the less.
The family recently went on vacation to Israel for a few weeks. On the lastday of the trip they went back to the Kosel for a last visit. The father(Abba) told the family that this is their last visit to the Kosel for thistrip and so they should go and put a note in the wall for the last time.Abba told me that he put a note in the wall with a long list of all hisrequests to Hashem. Give me this, send me that, help me with this, fix that,etc.
When they came out and the family gathered he asked his daughter Sheva whatshe asked for and she said: "Ask? I didn't ask for anything I wrote toHashem: Thank you for this, and this, and this, etc."
He told me this was the most humbling moment of his life. Here he was at thewall and all he could think of was to ask and ask. And his daughter who isthe one with the actual challenges all she thinks of is to say thank you forwhat she has.