Photo Blog Challenge: Day 2 - Solidarity

I am very bad at keeping up with current events. I have no interest in politics, and my home life is so busy, my family takes up a lot of my head space.
A few days ago though, I came across the following article online: http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Extremists-threaten-to-burn-Talmud-rip-apart-Israeli-flag-at-London-march-in-Jewish-neighborhood-406435

In it, the spearhead of this initiative said that this "would mark solidarity with those being oppressed by the illegal state of Israel". I read up some more on this fellow, and the more I read, the more I wanted to scream this statement at him.

If by some chance, he or one of his followers read this, I'd like to say this:

Solidarity means unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group. 

I do not support Israel at all. I feel that they are at present the prime human rights abusers, and that the world is letting them get away with serious criminal activity. What do I do to show solidarity? Support organisations who provide aid to those oppressed. Boycott organisations who provide aid to the oppressors.

I am NOT going to paint every other Jew in the world with the same brush. I am NOT going to petition to have them thrown out of their residential areas NOR burn their religious texts.
This is NOT a form of solidarity. All it will do is show that I am as intolerant as they are.

A lesson we can all take from this: do not mask your own agenda behind the (serious) plight of others. God does not sleep and karma is a real thing...

Photo Blog Challenge: Day 1 - Memories

So, two bloggers I follow did the 5 Day Photo Blog Challenge. Pictures are sometimes worth more than a thousand words and I have really been enjoying their offerings.

No one has challenged me to do this, so I decided to challenge myself. I also don't have anyone else to challenge, but if you're reading this and are intrigued, here are the rules:

1) Post a photo each day for 5 consecutive days

2) Attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry or a short paragraph. It’s entirely up to the individual.

3) Nominate another blogger to carry on the challenge. Your nominee is free to accept or decline the invitation.  Just have fun. 

These are birthday cards I have received over the years from one of my sisters. She is the one sister who's gifts always come with a card, and it is always spot on for the recipient. She knows I like to laugh but that I also am quite sentimental (a side people fail to recognise), and so her cards are always a combination of humorous and sweet.

Every now and again, when the mood to spring clean strikes, I take out the box that these are kept in. Many other things have been kept in that box - letters and cards from old friends, love notes from an old boyfriend...many of which I have discarded over the years. I cannot bring myself to discard these, as it is a small reminder that though they may be few, there are people who love and accept me for who I am.