To celebrate the birth of their son, an Israeli couple Schmuel and Chen Salomon, invited family and friends to their home the next night, a Friday. Disguised as a Sabbath-observant Jew, a Palestine terrorist entered their home and murdered three family members; Schmuel’s father Yosef, his sister, Chaya, and his brother, Elad. Still dressed in mourning clothes, holding his son at the baby’s circumcision ceremony (brit) the father uttered these words, “Our son made the choice of life for us. He was given to us as a present the day before our lives were destroyed.” We want to “be remembered as a happy united family… not one with a torn heart”. “We have chosen life, especially in these terrible days. We are choosing HAPPINESS and HOPE over SADNESS and DESPAIR. We have chosen UNITY over DIVISIVENESS.”

When grieving and feeling the pain of our loss, while we have no control over our emotions, we do have control over our attitude. We can always choose gratitude and hope for healing.

– Harriet