What, me worry?" was the tag line of Alfred E. Neuman, the zany twisted-logic character that made Mad Magazine make sense, sort of, and made us laugh for so many years. But for some people, it's a serious question.
I sat across a table from an elderly Turkish gentlemen at a birthday party a few weeks ago. While we couldn't speak a word of each other's language, I was fascinated by his hands as they methodically moved along a string of worry beads, or "Tespih." There were thirty-three beads in the strand, each bearing the traditional Turkish crescent moon and star, and his fingers methodically moved along the strand touching each bead.
Out of curiosity, I did a little research on worry beads and discovered that as people move their fingers along the beads, they pray. The first time through strand they pray, "Praise be to God," as they touch each bead. The second time through, they pray, "Glory be to God," and the third time, "God is most great."
I spoke a while with his son, a jeweler in Queens, and although I couldn't communicate directly with his father, he spoke volumes in his silence as he focused on his prayers. His commitment was humbling.
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