Two of the Plagues and the end of the month

Well we are at the end of another month somehow and granted there were a few days where I did not post like I should have, there are days where I feel like I have little to say so I don't blog.  I meant to blog yesterday and talk about the plagues/miracles the the Egyptians were exposed to during what lead up to Passover night.

The story can be found in Exodus and the first miracle was Moses throwing down his staff and it turning into a snake.  Unfortunately the magicians of the Pharaoh did the same feat.  I wanted to take the time and ask what have we cast aside recently?  Something that we may no longer need, something we no longer want, something we don't want to be "addicted to"-- clothes that don't fit anymore, a habit we want to quit, a good book, our fear, our shame, our fear or even our greed. Maybe we need someone in our lives to help us quit, or get rid of what we no longer need.  Sometimes it is easier if we have support than if we are alone facing a challenge.  Having someone helping also gives you someone to talk to if you need to especially if we are quitting something like smoking, drinking over eating or even starting to work out.  This miracle can occur everyday if we just reach out and speak to someone else instead of "bearing the weight alone".  Facing our fears of rejection and uninvolvement.

The second miracle and the first Plague against the people of Egypt was Moses turning the river into blood.  As we all know no one could not exist long without water and especially in a day and age with no faucets with running water or bottles of water availbale at your local grocer.  Nothing to drink, nothing to clean with, nothing to do your laundry in or even bathe in.  This plague if it had been drawn out would have brought a halt to everything that the Egyptians knew.

I am going to have to expose myself here and say that it is hard to bring this plague/miracle into modern day terms but I have to say that the one thing that has changed my life inside out, upside down, and inside out is AIDS.  Nineteen years this July and for the first time being in school and getting my education has made me feel that I had given AIDS to much power and control over my life. That for the first having AIDS simply doesn't matter.

As I have said before and will say again I am sure AIDS in all reality has taken so very much from my life in the nineteen years but I also have to admit AIDS has given me so much as well. It has given a huge amount of courage to face the unknown, it has given me a gentle, loving, caring, giving heart.  AIDS made me grow up and rather fast but in the process I found who I was. I knew what I would and would not accept. I knew I didn't have to put up, if I have to be frank, with a lot of shit from people.  But I also knew I personally wasn't going to be "playing a lot of the games" people play either.  I grew to be honest, you know what I think and why.

I don't know if I would be the person I am today if things were different.  Passover as some of you may now forsome Jews is a time of reflection and inner inspection and as a Jew by choice I choose to abide by that thinking--a time of inner inspection and reflection.  To have that ability to do just that I am thankful. So until next time I am so glad we had this time together.