Snowflakes

by Mrs. Lori Palatnik

You are a unique piece in God's puzzle.

Published: February 6, 2010

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Visitor Comments: 12

(12) Anonymous, February 14, 2010 8:45 AM

Thanks a lot for a beautiful message,yes trully believe that all of Gods creation has its own purpose in life and unique one. thats why, we need to know how to appretiate the nature and all of God creations. obvioslly, im a nature lover. yes, because even the" GARBAGE" we thought are just nothing but still there's an important role in our life.... God Bless and more power!

(11) Chana Leah, February 10, 2010 4:18 AM

Thank you so much! i grew up in an orthodox, jewish community, B"H. therefore i am no stranger to this concept. However, just tonight when i'm dealing with some tough stuff, this video was on aish (my favorite website) and it made me feel a lot better. Hashem runs the world through His amazing Hashgacha and here is one way He showed me it in my world.

(10) , February 9, 2010 11:53 PM

Human DNA

Beautiful, as always. I learned somewhere that the human DNA and DNA of all living things boils down to only 4 elements...this includes billions of insects. Change one gemone in the strand, and you change everything. They were even able to create a wing on a fly by finding the genome for the wing in the sequence...wow. They can even put that wing on an ant because it is that specific. If that is not proof that something intelligent created life, than I don't know what is. Otherwise, DNA should have been random, chaotic. The scientists were saying that essentially, all life is just one big code, changed minutely to create a fly or a human or any of the billions of living things. But someone had to write it...like a program code for the computer.

(9) ruth, February 9, 2010 11:24 PM

to puzzle

I often use the metaphor of puzzle to refer to our lives, being both pieces that do fit together and puzzle as in, mystery. Life is about the biggest mystery of all, and in individual ways, through our own personal stories, we do question, why are we here? how did we get here? what is my unique mission, if any? It's hard to imagine that each snowflake is an "original" and yet, it's true. I do totally believe we are pieces of a master puzzle and I also see, that as pieces of a puzzle come together, we do perceive more and more of the big picture but also the remaining pieces come together faster, because there are fewer left. I am perceiving that there is a quickening pace to discovery, in all aspects of life, and that we are moving closer to seeing the Big Picture. It's hard on this "plane" to perceive there is some reason for the unique contributions of people who are not positive, who do cruel and terrible things, and also for the terrible loss that we encounter in all areas of life, and yet, to perceive that we each have a profound role here, and that it is a God driven picture, then in some ways, it teaches us to surrender to the story, and I also believe, deeply within our stories, for each of us, the learning curve is towards greater compassion, and to perform acts of tikkun olam.

(8) Anonymous, February 9, 2010 8:50 PM

why does G-d allow his creations to be destroyed?

I enjoyed your talk about the unique snowflakes. It was very inspiring. But I always am left a little empty by these types of words. I had unique grandparents, uncles and aunts and cousins that were special and I never got to know them because they were murdered in the Holocaust- only because they were Jewish. Why would this happen in G-d's world. Six million puzzle pieces were lost. What kind of picture does that make?

(7) Anonymous, February 9, 2010 6:32 PM

Thank you

A most timely reminder

(6) SusanE, February 8, 2010 6:58 PM

All Snowflakes Are Here for a Reason, too.

Snowflakes......each one geometrically perfect, yet geometrically different. Each snowflake of course had a purpose and still does. Each contains water, the sustainer of life here. Many snowflakes have been inactive and silent for eons, trapped in glaciers, and part of the ice at the poles. They will change from ice back to pure water. Perhaps G-d has saved those tiny ice crystals in their pure form to renew the waters we humans have polluted for so many of G-ds other creatures. Maybe that is one of G-ds plans for repair. ----------------- All humans and all animals have been here since the creation. We are essentially made of the same elements, just as the snowflakes, but no two of us are exactly alike. Billions of us have died and our bodies are still buried in the earth, waiting. What Is our purpose for lying in wait? If we are all one big piece of a puzzle, we might need all those who have died to come back again to complete that puzzle. Just as all the water that the Earth has ever had is still here in some form, so are all the bodies of our ancestors. In another form perhaps but still of the same elements. Being a piece of the puzzle, Lori, is far too great for me to contemplate. It is beyond my knowlege and my imagination. Thanks again for the video, and I hope when G-d puzzle is put together the words can be, ..............."and they all lived together happily ever after".

(5) Rose, February 8, 2010 4:22 AM

Thank you!!

Thank you Lori for this beautiful message. We are all parts of G-d's plan and creation. And for being different we all need each other.

(4) Anonymous, February 7, 2010 11:13 PM

Really nice!

Kind thoughts always a joy, meaningful & educational, truly a pleasure, your interpretation of the beauty of diversity are uplifting. Thank you,

(3) Rosen, February 7, 2010 10:28 PM

uniqueness

That's good to know that everyone plays a significant role in this world. I recently had the positive thought that I really do matter in the community - and the world. We all have our inspirations and influences that we share among one another.

(2) sharon, February 7, 2010 10:13 PM

this is one of your best

comparing the world minus one single individual to a puzzle missing a single piece was brilliant. I don't know if it's a valid analogy but you succeeded in proving the importance of each person in a world where so many of us feel so insignificant. Keep up the good work

(1) sara, February 7, 2010 8:00 PM

beautiful message

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About the Author

Mrs. Lori Palatnik

More by this Author >

Lori Palatnik is a writer and Jewish educator who has appeared on television and radio, and is the author of "Friday Night and Beyond: The Shabbat Experience Step-By-Step," "Remember My Soul - What to do in Memory of a Loved One," and co-author of "Gossip: 10 Pathways to Eliminate It From Your Life and Transform Your Soul." She is a much sought-after international speaker, having lectured in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Central America, South America, South Africa and Israel, including featured talks at Yale, Brown and Penn. She lives in the Washington D.C. area, with her husband, Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik. Lori is the Founder of The Jewish Women's Renaissance Project, an international initiative that brings over 1,000 women to Israel each year from ten different countries on highly subsidized programs to inspire them with the beauty and wisdom of their heritage. She is the busy mother of five children, ages 24 to 14; and her son, Zev, just finished serving as a sharpshooter in the IDF. Her weekly video blog, "Lori Almost Live" is a popular feature on aish.com, viewed by over 50,000 people each month.

Follow Lori on Twitter, @LoriAlmostLive

Snowflakes

You are a unique piece in God's puzzle.

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