This is my first Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) with a soldier in my home. What a heavy change. Last night, as the memorial began and I thought about my son, out there somewhere in his uniform near the beginning of his service, I had trouble breathing. I’ve been preparing for his service since the… Read More The Soldier In My Home
Last night, we were sitting at the dinner table discussing that it would soon be Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) and that there would be a siren at school tomorrow. My 12-year-old started thinking about the word siren. Here was our conversation. Z: “Are there different words for sirens in English? Like, do my cousins… Read More A Life With Sirens
These are three of my favorite words. ‘I don’t know.’ As an employed person and a mother of six, you might assume that I don’t use this phrase often. If you were to poll a group of 100 people, I believe that most of them would say that this phrase shows weakness. It shows that… Read More I Don’t Know
My boys’ high school loves t-shirts. To be more accurate, the kids love collecting t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other clothing items with the name of their school, Sussya. But the items aren’t just sold in a school store for the taking; rather they are earned. The school is built around a four-year program of classroom and… Read More How I Became a Sussmaneet
“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
It was only two short weeks ago (three? four?) that life still seemed relatively normal. On a daily basis, I could hear myself saying: “You’re hiking where? For how many days?” “Are you coming home this weekend? “Please be careful on your way back from Eilat. No, really.” “Yes, you can have the car. Where… Read More One Mom’s Life Staying Put
My second son turns 18 on Friday, and while I was reminiscing about his birth and his first few days (as I always tend to do around their birthdays), I find myself thinking about the day before his birth. What happened on that day? It was a Thursday, like today, and I took my oldest,… Read More My Expanding Heart: 18 Years Later
Recently, I was wearing this cute top that makes me feel like royalty. Why? Well, not because I’m moving to Canada, or disowning my family or anything. More because I can’t do a darn thing in it. I can’t work in it, or cook in it, or even really eat. It’s cute and elegant, but… Read More Yes, Just Call Me Royalty Why Don’t You
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!
