I could have been in Israel going to the brit milah (circumcision) of our 12th muffin, 7th grandson. But I came back to the states the other day. I was exhausted, mostly emotionally. It’s been so tense for the last three weeks since the baby was born and Ezra was killed. Before that was not easy, … More what i wouldn’t take a picture of today
In particular. Or at least to start. Or is it complacent insanity? One, the world and its blind eye to the Middle East’s increasing violence. Frog in the pot, anyone? Yes, a myth. So, yes, just like that a frog will not stay in a pot that is continually getting hotter, the refugees will leave places that … More insane complacency on two fronts
Two experiences that would have been greatly enhanced by photos. Not taken over by them. Or perhaps not. The last two days were the last two days of our Jewish cycle of holidays. It’s been a very full three weeks. How many challah loaves were baked and consumed, how many times did prep knives go … More what i missed without my camera
Yesterday, due to the heavy downpours, we needed to find a good indoor activity to do with one 90 year-old, one 5 3/4 year old, and a few of us in between. We decided also to try to accentuate the “active” in the activity, and we came up with bowling. I cannot remember the last time … More an unexpected version of love and death
This isn’t as awful as it sounds. (What’s the opposite of trigger alert? Put the the safety back on?) I am actually talking about puns, the kind that we as a group make on Rosh Hashanah. I wrote about it last year here about the symbolic power of foods to spur us to correct our behavior … More groans for the new year
I’m in the middle of packing to go to Israel for the summer. And we thought we’d get the house painted while we were away. So, of course, I am overwhelmed with stuff all over the place. But there is physical stuff and the metaphysical stuff, all of which I’m tripping over. Recently, someone mentioned the … More why would we take back our own troubles?
Does it mean anything, Dr. Freud, that I tend to remember almost all the memories of time spent with my father, but not so much with my mother? For example, I have ABSOLUTELY no memory of going with her to Paris. The only reason that I now know I went is that my father forwarded an old … More holes in my memories
I had to think about how long it’s been. Actually, I had to look at the chart I have of family birthdays to remember exactly how old the grandson is who was born right before my mother’s death. Accchhhh! I just checked to see what I had written about my mother before and wouldn’t you … More on the ninth year after my mother’s death
A cousin of mine emailed me the other day to let me know she was thinking of us on the upcoming difficult weekend. And she hopes we are all well. Well, until she wrote it, I didn’t realize this was supposed to be a difficult weekend. The weather has been glorious; I didn’t have to prepare a lot of … More difficult?
Yesterday, while walking, from a distance I noticed a man riding a bike somewhat slowly and wobbly. As we approached each other, I realized he was riding alongside a boy (10? 11?). Ah! Father encouraging Son. And so as we passed each other, I clapped for the young runner. I had a while to think about … More mothers of convention
Learning from the Learned 