There was a beautiful, festive bar mitzvah at shul this past Shabbat. As I sat down in my usual seat, I found myself unexpectedly crying. I shouldn’t really say unexpectedly…. I cry all the time. I cry for my children’s war experiences, for the widows and orphans, for reserve soldiers, for the hostages, for the… Read More Imperfect Blessings
Yakir graduates from 8th grade tonight. What a journey it has been, and what a change we (his parents) have coming since he’s following his brothers to a high school model where he will sleep out much of the week. I’ve been reflecting on what it must be like for Yakir to be the youngest… Read More Watch Out World…Yakir Is Heading to High School
Yakir loves animals. And when I say loves, I mean LOVES. But we just aren’t interested in the expense or commitment of a dog. And I’m allergic to cats (well, and when you have them on the streets like rats, you don’t really think of a cat as a pet). So that left bunnies. Let’s… Read More Bob, the Girl Bunny and other surprises
“But we weren’t even very good,” my 13-year-old declared, rather sheepishly, today when I told him that we were going out for a celebration. It’s been two months, two months to the day I think, since my three younger children (and my husband) have been out of the yishuv. That’s a looooooong time to expect… Read More Yes, We Were Very Good
Obviously, all of our lives have been turned upside down. So it’s funny to think of pointing out some of the ways that things are different. But this morning, when I saw the pile of slippers, it really hit me how much little symbols and items can signal large changes. And I started thinking about… Read More Slipping Our Way Into a New Reality
I like to stay in my box. It’s comfortable. And warm (well, lately it’s been very, very cold where I live, but you know what I mean) and safe. So when Josh and I tossed around the idea of going to Eliat for the weekend, I was inclined to say no. Of course I wanted… Read More Thanks You Boys!
So much of parenting involves improvisation and creativity. The situations that we find ourselves in as parents are often so ridiculously improbable that all I can do is laugh – or cry (of course). At the same time, I have a great sense of satisfaction, of patting myself on the back, when I live through… Read More United – Where Is The Help Button?
My children take the bus to and from school each day. So today, when I had to bring one of them to school, I was extremely touched by the smallest action. As my 8th grader and I walked through the gate, my son greeted the guard by name. “Good morning Isaac,” he said. “Wow,” I… Read More Greeting the Faces in the Background
I’ve always felt bad for Cheshvan. It’s referred to as Mar Cheshvan, the bitter (“mar”) month of Cheshvan, for its lack of holidays. Cheshvan arrives just as we’ve concluded the incredibly packed month of Tishrei; after we’ve eaten ourselves silly on Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, reflected on Yom Kippur, danced on Simchat Torah, and enjoyed… Read More Taking the Mar out of Cheshvan
Yesterday, Yakir had a really sweet musical performance at school. He told us about it for weeks, checking to make sure that we would be there (“It’s at 10:20 EXACTLY, Mommy. EXACTLY.”) and talking about the songs they would perform and the instruments he would play. It was a great performance and a lot of… Read More Another Bad Note for the Musically Challenged
