Joke Two: The Kreplach Story

     First, for those who don't know what kreplach are, let me explain. Kreplach are little meatpies, similar to Chinese wontons, that, like matzoballs, often appear in chicken soup, when it's made by a Jewish mother.

     Joke Two:  "The Kreplach Story"

     There was a little boy who was terrified of kreplach and his mother made them every Friday night.
Every time he saw them he would scream: "Ahhhhh, kreplach!!!!" and run out of the room.

     His mother thought about how she could help him overcome his irrational fear of the harmless little meat pies. So, she brought him into the kitchen one Friday afternoon and she took out her baking ingredients. Together she and little Sammy put the flour and egg and oil and water together and rolled it into a ball.

     His mother said, pointing to the dough-ball: "Sammy, are you afraid of this?" Sammy replied, "No."

     Then mother and Sammy together took a big rolling pin and rolled out the dough. "Sammy," said his mother, "are you afraid of this?" Sammy replied calmly, "No."

     She then enlisted Sammy to help her cut the dough and place a tablespoon of meat on top. As they pinched each individual pie shut, mother said: "So, Sammy? Are you afraid of this?" Sammy said confidently, "No."

     Then, together, they dropped the pies in a big pot of boiling water and put on the cover.
Twenty minutes later, mother called Sammy back into the room, opened the cover....and brought a chair for Sammy to stand on, showing him the results of their labors.

    "Ahhh, kreplach!!!" the boy screamed, running out of the room.

    How many times do we find ourselves in a life pattern and say, "But I thought this guy/gal was different!" or "I thought this job/friend/place to live would be different!" What may very well have needed to be different was us. Unless we can do the work of seeing our part in our lives, our choices, our mistakes, we are like small children, blaming everybody else for whatever mess we find ourselves in. The growth is in seeing our part, then acting on that awareness. Once we become cognizant of what we do, to sow the seeds we sow, we have a choice. We can't control other people. But, we can use our mistakes to make healthier choices for ourselves. The one thing that's always the same in a pattern we begin to recognize in our lives is not so much the pattern (there may be different patterns with familiar themes), but us. And, by the way, I don't mean to say it's always us. Sometimes we do need to find a new job, a different place to live, another boy/girlfriend!

Next Joke (for the Holidays): Two Ties For Christmas.