I saw the first hummingbird of the season in my yard yesterday. Like an angel suspended by gossamer threads, it hung there in the air as we looked at each other. Then, in an instant it was gone. I, standing in awe of the beauty of nature, struck by the seemingly limitless possibilities of creation, paused. Then I said a b’racha, "Birkat Hazman," the Blessing for Time, popularly known as "Shehechianu." It was a moment, as so often happens for me here in Santa Fe, to acknowledge the wonder of life, and to be grateful for the gift of life. As a line in the prayer book puts it, life is a gift, but it is yet a greater gift that we are aware of it.

Ideally, in Jewish tradition, one is supposed to recite at least 100 b’rachot each day. Imagine, each day we are to pause for a moment at least 100 times to acknowledge life and ponder (for a moment) its wonder. One can only imagine what the world would be like if every day we all had 100 moments of thankfulness, and actually expressed those thanks in some way. If nothing else, we would be sensitized to the world around us and our place within it.

Beyond that, perhaps such actions (mitzvot) would help us to become more deeply aware of what privileged lives we lead. The vast majority of us live lives filled with freedom. We are free from hunger: we do not have to stress over whether or not we will be able to have our next meal. While many of us have been affected by the economy, we still know that there will food on the table tonight. Neither we nor our children will have to go to bed hungry. The vast majority of us are free from uncertainty as to where we will sleep tonight, and whether that place will be safe. We may have worries about the roof over our head, but not about whether it will be there. This is a freedom which many in our world, and too many in our community, cannot enjoy.

There are even blessings which our congregation provides. Being here, being part of Temple Beth Shalom, means that we are not alone. We are part of a community which expresses its caring in a variety of ways. When a loved one has passed away, you do not have to mourn alone. Shivah services are always available if requested. If you want to recite Kaddish on Saturday morning or Friday night, there will always be someone to say it with you. If you ask, the Mitzvah Corps will provide meals when a baby is born, or when you are recovering from an illness or surgery. As we become more cognizant of the blessings that fill our lives, so are we better able to share those blessings with others.

It is not just hummingbirds that should make us pause and more deeply appreciate our lives. The most awe-inspiring part of our world is the compassion that one human being can show to another. It is when we express this capacity that we most live up to the Divine Image in which we are fashioned. Compassion which drives us to heal, to care, and even to forgive, is our most human and most God-like characteristic.

As this summer season comes into full light, may our associations with Temple Beth Shalom lead us to experience the awe of simply living in the most meaningful of ways, and may that awe lead us to ever greater acts of compassion.