A few nights ago, the kids were all in their rather cranky it’s-5:00pm-and-we-need-to-drive-mommy-crazy moods. All of a sudden, it seemed out of nowhere, the music turned on; and just as quickly I saw all of the kids start to bop up and down. It was quite cute to see how instantly the mood shifted. I… Read More Musical Inspirations
Sunday night, we were privileged to share in the wedding of a child from the yishuv. The night was magical and beautiful, as most weddings are. It was made even that much more special considering what this family had been through. Five and a half years ago, we stood in the plaza outside of our… Read More A Bright Future
Last night we went to the Bat Mitzvahs for Shoshana and Adina Ron. And it was a particularly meaningful occasion for both Josh and me. Let me take you back seven and a half years. Matan, aged four, had arrived in Israel without knowing a soul and without a word of Hebrew. In this picture,… Read More Just Two Little Friends in the Beginning
I’ve been told that the activities that my sons engage in when someone passes gas is universally known. (Yes, you’ve figured out that this is not going to be one of my more profound or tear-jerking posts.) They have a series of exclamations that include “Doorknobs!” “Safety” and something else I can’t remember. Needless to… Read More Doorknobs! Safety! Manners?
I simply love when a common, everyday conversation turns into a great reminder for me. A few days ago, Eliav and I ventured to the dentist for the final (hopefully!) installment of the watch-me-jump-on-the-couch-two-hours-before-leaving-for-the-airport-and-knock-out-my-tooth saga. Eliav was having his front tooth pulled, and we were visiting the dentist’s office to enjoy that lovely experience. While… Read More Pulling Teeth…In More Ways Than One
My grandfather is being buried as I write these words, and I’m 9000 miles away, thinking about him and missing my family so very much. I spoke with my mom briefly before she headed out to the funeral home, and she told me that my grandmother, my Nana, wasn’t going to the funeral. She is… Read More Saying Goodbye
There are times when the mitzvah that you set out to do doesn’t end up being the one that you accomplish – and when you end up getting more from an experience than you gave. And that was the night that I had last night. While visiting Stella in the hospital last night, I heard… Read More The Dust Bowl Pioneer
Some would say that it’s not the nicest thing to call your best friend a devil as she struggles to endure the pain of her recent surgery – but we’ve all got to do what we’ve got to do. Stella is not feeling heroic. She’s in a great deal of pain, completely and totally understandable… Read More The Heroic Devil
It’s hard to believe that Stella has reached this point. Sometime in June, when all of this began, they were told over the phone that her scan didn’t look good. The doctor, however, didn’t want to talk about it over the phone and he scheduled a time for them to come in the next day.… Read More A New Beginning
“Um, excuse me,” she began, “but aren’t you Yarden Frankl?” Looking around the table at us and our forming giggles, Yarden turned to the eager young girl. “Yeah…” “Oh my gosh!” She exclaimed. “I just knew it. And you’re Stella,” she said, pointing to the other end of the table. “I’m writing an article about… Read More The World Eating Tour and Chance Encounters
