Thank you Hashem.

Just wanted to mention a story that happened to me -

Yesterday morning i was in a rush to get to an important meeting in Flatbush so i took a car service and maybe ten minutes into the drive a white ten seater van rammed into the back of the car that i was in; Bchasdei Hashem myself, the taxi driver, and the guy who crashed in, were all physically not harmed. I took stock of what had just happened before my eyes and got out of the car - In my heart I said "Thank you Hashem" that i was alive and okay. I check Yeshiva world all the time and i see the stories and of course we never really expect it to be us who's in the situation - I was in a rush and didn't want to stick around for the accident report so I payed the driver, ordered a new cab to where i had to go, and left. At points throughout the rest of the day I was thinking about the experience and  was flustered, thinking and wondering why Hashem would put me in such a situation, which had in fact been a pretty stressfull experience and could've had a less good ending, Chas V'shalom.  I was wondering what i had done  wrong, what did i need to work on??

I realized later on in the day while I reading a sefer on Elul/Rosh Hashana by Zecharia Fendel. Hashem was not punishing me by putting me in that situation. Rather, he was showing me how much he is watching over me, and that His Hashgacha Pratis is real and constant. "Viani B'chasdecha Batachti, Yagel Libi Bishuasecha" - "Hashem i trust in your kindness and my heart rejoices in your salvation". (Psalm 13)

Now, i was thinking about this - what if Chas Vshalom there was an ending in which it would have been more challenging for me to see the good ? What should i have done then? Of course, introspection.  Think about what message is Hashem sending me, what can i do better. This is paramount.

But also, to say Thank You Hashem. The message of Thank you Hashem, is not to say Thank You Hashem when it's good only. It's to say Thank You Hashem when you can't see the good also, because you have to know that it's good then too. I say this to remind myself too- we're a work in progress -

I got home after the train ride back from work and the TYH package that I ordered was on the table. I opened the package with the cool bracelets and yellow stickers in it and one sticker was a new one- It was a Tfillas Haderech card and on the bottom of the card it said "In the event of a collision, say Thank You Hashem."

I almost cried when i saw that. Hashem was showing me that He is so clearly Here, He's always Here. I ordered the TYH package with the bracelets in it last week and i hadn't even included the Tfillas Haderech card  in that order - It "Happened" to have been thrown in as an extra in that order,  and it "Happened" to have arrived that day after i got home, on the day that it was quite relevant. Nothing just Happens. I'm not the kind of person who sees these stories happen all the time in my everyday life.  But im working on becoming. We have to look for Him, seek Him out,  and we do that by just doing our best to be good Yidden and learning to be a Thank You Hashem kind of person. 

"Thank you Hashem" is a lot of things, but ideally its a state of being. A continuous recognition of Hashem's kindness in life. We don't always see the good things; but if Thank You Hashem is a state of being then it doesn't matter; because you know that theres a higher picture and we wont always understand it-   and thats fine, its Good.

Thank you Hashem.

Thank you to the people who thought of ways to bring this message to klal yisroel today in 2019  - We can get caught up in the many distractions in life but this message is one that needs to be at the forefront or our radars. Thank you Joey Newcomb, - The Thank You Hashem song is  catchy,  has good vibes :) Thank you to whoever is involved in shipping out the  Thank You Hashem bracelets and other cool paraphernalia.  It's having an effect-  Thank you for giving the message of Thank You Hashem more hype -  Because its the greatest message we've got.