A Chassidic Story and Memories

Sometimes a simple act can bring a flood of powerful memories to the surface. Today that happened to me. At Goodwill the other day I found a perfect Battenberg lace table cloth. It is loaded with detail and just pristine.
This morning as I was doing some things around the house, I decided to lay this snowy white cloth on the table. Simple enough, it seemed but that very ordinary act nearly brought me to my knees. Its Friday. A white cloth. Reminders of my many years of preparing for Shabbos. Preparing for Sabbath. Suddenly I remembered just what it smelled like having Challah baking, the kitchen a hustle and bustle of activity, preparing for the most delightful of times. Table set with the very best china, and sparkling silver everywhere. Candles lit with the blessing sung. The girls each with their own single candle, learning in Hebrew the age old blessing, sung for so many generations and sung all over the world each Friday night. I laughed remembering Melanie opening books in English the wrong way. She learned to read Hebrew before English.
I felt a longing, a sadness that we no longer have 24 hours different than the rest of the week.
I had a longing for service at Chabad... the singing, the feeling of anticipation of the Sabbath. The total busy-ness of getting the house ready and food made, and then rest.
Its hard to put into words the feelings I felt today from just laying a new white table cloth on the table. I wanted to polish the candle sticks, hear my children singing Sabbath songs and making certain the matches were ready for candle lighting. Bringing out the special wine and smelling foods that were made just for this special time and food slowing simmering for the next days meal.
I remembered how sure I was of God's love and power and His mercy. Somewhere along the way I lost some of that feeling.
But now, knowing Melanie was sleeping soundly on the sofa in the livingroom, alive and with a new life inside her. Her health being restored. A Doctors visit today that assured us of that.
Knowing how close we came to loosing them both, I felt His mercy, His compassion.
When I told Steven today about what had happened to his sister, he cried. He understands what a treasure Melanie is to all of us.
A few days ago I received an email with this story in it. It put it all together for me....
A Coin
By Shoshannah Brombacher------------------------ Chassidic master Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rymanov (c.1755-1815) was a very special person, an ascetic who was known for his tremendous awe of G-d, his modesty and his passionate prayers, and people came to see him because he was considered a miracle worker as well.Despite all his accomplishments, the Rymanover Rebbe did not have money and he didn't care for money either. He was actually so poor that he often could not feed his children.There is a beautiful story about how he came home one day and found his little son crying, for the poor boy had not eaten in a long time. "I can't bear being hungry anymore!" sobbed the child. With a bleeding heart his father rebuked him: "If your hunger was really as great as you say, G-d would provide something..."The boy could not stop crying and he left the room in tears. After a moment his father called him back and said to him: "Please forgive me, my sweet child! I had no idea that your hunger was so overwhelming. I just took one of my books off the table and look what I found next to it--a coin. You see, G-d always helps when it is needed most. Now go and buy some bread and make a blessing..."We often think we that can't hold out any longer, be it hunger, grief or some other test, but G-d knows what we truly need and at the right moment--which He alone knows--He gives. So trust Him and Him alone.

My table tonight