Tonight, at sundown the sounds of the shofar will be heard to symbolically awaken Jews from their "slumbers" and alert them to the coming judgment.  It's Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.  (Can you believe it's 5770 I just got used to writing 5769 on my checks!)

There is a lot to be thankful for in the past year; we may be poor but we got our health and our happiness.  Barack Obama was elected, and IS our President.  Hope still springs eternal in our heart. 

But as we approach the New Year there is a great sadness and concern for our country.  As of late there has been an ill wind.  Racism, and prejudice, and hate have reared their ugly head.  They, whoever they are, have turned us against each other for their own self-interests.  It's enough to make one want to drop out, just like we have done times before.

But it's New Years.  A time to renew faith.  Renew hope.

There was a time when I produced the High Holiday services with our Rabbi.  One of my functions was to pick the readings for the services.  We would always end the Erev Rosh Hashanah service with a humorous story.  My favorite was the story of Harry and Larry, "The Optimist and the Pessimist."  As we begin this New Year it carries a special meaning...

    You may have heard the story of the little twin brothers, Hershel and Laybel; Harry and Larry.  Harry is a pessimist and Larry is an optimist.  The little pessimist was always complaining and very negative, while the optimist viewed everything through rose-colored glasses.  It was their birthday, and their father decided to test their attitudes.  He bought every kind of beautiful toy imaginable for the pessimist - a new bike, a basketball, a baseball, bat and glove and dozens of things that would make a little boy happy, but for the optimist, a pile of horse manure was to be his only gift.

    When Harry, the pessimist, saw all of his beautiful gifts, he immediately began to complain.  "If I ride this bike on the street, I might wreck it and hurt myself, and I know if I take this basketball outside, someone will probably steal it, and baseball is dangerous.   If I miss the ball with the glove it will hit me in the head and I'll probably end up hitting the ball too far and breaking somebody's window." Harry went on and on in deep negativism.  He had turned his birthday into doom and gloom.

    Then it was the little optimist's turn for his birthday present.  When Larry saw the pile of horse manure with his name on it, he enthusiastically began to run throughout the house looking in all of the rooms, in the garage, and in the backyard.  When his father caught him by the arm and asked, "Son, what are you looking for:" Larry replied, "Dad, with all of the horse manure you gave me, I just know there's gotta be a pony around here someplace!"

    In the New Year may we all find the pony we've been looking for!

"Shana Tova Umetukah;" may you all be written and sealed in the book of life for a good and sweet year.

Happy New Year.  Keep Hope alive...