Living in the Present

On the first night of Passover in 2021, Jan, my wife, was hospitalized, and I was not allowed to visit her due to COVID-19 restrictions. She came home on the fourth night, but unfortunately, on the seventh night, she had to be re-admitted, and I was again not allowed to stay with her. I left the hospital feeling helpless and alone, thinking that I might never see her alive again.

As we gather for our Passover Seders this week, let us remember that this is a story of liberation. As Jews, we were once enslaved, but now we are free people. As I sat down to read the Haggadah, I found myself initially just looking at the photographs as if they were a picture book, but as I continued, the words of our liberation from Egypt began to come into focus. I prayed for my wife’s return, and when she did come back home a week later, it was for hospice care as she was in her final days.

Grief has been my most outstanding teacher. Through the pain of losing my wife, I have learned that God gave us three incredible gifts: ears to listen, arms to embrace, and feet to walk into the future. Though the future is unknowable, I choose to listen, embrace, and walk into it with strength and courage.

The story of liberation is not only about our struggle to leave Egypt but also about our need to live in the present, not the past, and to embrace the future. As we celebrate Passover, let us remember that it is a time of freedom and liberation, and may we all find hope and strength in our stories of resilience and perseverance.