Appreciation and gratefulness are certainly two of the most important traits that every parent should make great efforts to foster in their children. Certainly we have all come across adults who are lacking these, and it is truly sad —without appreciation and gratefulness a person cannot fully enjoy life or reach his potential in this world. Enough said.
On our recent trip to Amsterdam, a trip that most of my daughter's friends here will never have the opportunity to make themselves, I thought that it would be a nice gesture to remember those back home with a little souvenir from our travels. We bought many pairs of tiny ceramic dutch shoes, and my daughter wrapped them and made a cute little note for each of her friends in the neighborhood, wishing them a very happy new year.
And speaking of a happy new year, wishing you a wonderful remainder of Succos! Today we will start preparing for the holiday of Simchat Torah, which starts tomorrow night in Israel, and Thursday night elsewhere. We will be leaving our Succahs (always sad for me!) and returning to our homes to celebrate the gift of the Torah, as well as marking the beginning of the yearly cycle of it's reading. All the best!
