It’s like child birth. I know it’s always a little chutzpah for a man to claim he knows anything about childbirth. I do know it hurts. I know that the word “hurts” is a tremendous understatement. But in some ways I wanted to say seeing the JFS building going up is a little like child birth. I remember the decision to build and all that went into that. I remember there were tremendous doubts about where we should buy or build, how much parking we needed. And an almost endless discussion of the financial risks and benefits. There were constant doubts as to the viability of the project and I remember that all of this together made me feel that I would completely lose my mind. There were tense moments, or more like hours or days or months, that were very painful. But I really don’t remember them. Not really. It’s more like I know they happened but no longer feel the pain. I do know that this feeling is like childbirth. One remembers the joy, the satisfaction, the thrill, the love and it is these that are the overwhelming feelings. The pain recedes to another place in our minds. Look at our new building, even though it is not yet complete. It is a statement of hope in a hopeless time. It is a statement of commitment when commitment is hard to find. It is a statement of JFS’ endurance and confidence that it will be here to serve our community well into the future. It is a statement of strength and joy in a joyless time. We build in a time when so much is being torn down and torn apart. Not us. Not those who invest in JFS. Your investment is safe in a time when no investment is safe. Do we struggle? Of course. Do we worry? Sure. Do we understand that these are terribly difficult times and we are at the center of a whopper of a storm? Absolutely. Look at our building as we near completion. See it as it rises above our worries and touches confidence and hope. We know we will make it and we will help the thousands of people who turn to JFS for help in a place of dignity and respect. And perhaps we will all be lifted just a bit to a place where the pain is forgotten and replaced by hope. Drive or walk by and see what you are building. Make an appointment to be taken on a tour – still in hard hats!!
May this be a sweet and good year to you all. A year of building. A year of strength. A year of hope. Shana Tova
- Ken
NICE message, Ken! I’m glad I’m still on the subscriber list.
Shana tovah, to you.
Jeanne Rose Roxby