New Page-------New Day

Something that I have been thinking about is what the parents of the 126 young ,American ,Jewish  men and woman who landed in Israel a week ago to serve in the IDF feel right now. I watched as they left JFK and landed in Tel Aviv with a plane load of others who are making Aliyah. While I was watching on my little iPad screen, the thought of how attractive they all were came to mind. They were all enlisting in the Army. That's why they are there. Today with the news of bombs and chemicals, are they still so enthusiastic and idealistic. and what about their parents. Did they call across the  world and say," come home". 

At the welcoming ceremony in Tel Aviv, while these beautiful kids waved Israeli flags and waved for the cameras, Rabbi Fass the founder of NBN welcomed them and called them heroes for what they are doing. 

Last night at services, our Rabbi just happened to ask where are our Jewish leaders , our heroes, our role model. That person could be sitting , excited to be going into the Israeli Army , in that audience, in Tel Aviv.  They are all brave, and they all have some parent who is probably sick with worry about them. I am not their parent and I am worried ,too. 

It's never too late to worry about yours or their children and pray for a peaceful settlement .

There is a store front that has had been vacant for several years in the shopping center near my home. A month ago there was a sign in the window telling me that a store with something I always wanted was going to open soon in this space. I spent some time thinking about what it was that I really always wanted and how lucky I was to be able to get it so near my home. The biggest problem for me is that I can't just decide on what I want that much and if I need to put a price on it.

Well, the store opened and I am really  disappointed. It is selling those e cigarettes. I think that is the stupidest thing I can think of. I've seen those  around and I watched a TV episode about them. I still think that is a stupid idea. How about a decorated adult pacifiers. I could better understand that. These e cigs come in colors and various flavors. Chewing gum is like this. There could be an adult size Binkey with a cord that you can attach to your shirt, so you can spit it out when you had enough mouth time, but it wouldn't fall on the floor. I may be on to something here.

We wouldn't let our kids call each other stupid ,but I find it hard not to call this idea a very stupid one. I don't fault the entrepreneur . And I have yet to actually see anyone go into the store. but ,honestly, it is a stupid concept.

I am being very judge mental ( my iPad wont let me spell this word ,that's weird) but it is a disappointment to me not to have a neighborhood store that knew just what I wanted. now if it were a candy store that sold Frango mints, I might be tempted.

It's never too late To know that only I know what I want . I know a place.....

The very first article in my N B N  group email

today is about obtaining gas masks for your family. This is reality for Israeli's . No more questions about cell phones or where to get the best exchange rate. The message from NBN is somber and in English. 

Todays NYTimes calls the Israeli's stoic. I don't know how stoic I am. I am worried.  I worry here too.The worry is just closer when you live in Israel. I don't have a plan. It's ironic that we should just be commemorating Dr. King's vision and on the other side of the world, the vision is dark and deadly.

It's never too late to have a dream, make it lasting peace.

On my favorite email site, Nefesh B Nefesh, I found the perfect job for me when I get to Israel. Dorm Mom.! I have all of the qualifications. I am a professional Mom and I think my past life has given me some experience.

When we had our large Victorian house in Evanston , we had various friends of our kids living in different levels of our home. We had one intern living in an empty bedroom on the second floor. That was great for our youngest kid. All of his sibs had left the coop and he missed a full house. We remember that house guest by the fact that we had to buy ourselves a new bed during her stay. Seems that for fun, our son and the intern would run down our hallway and when they came to our bedroom at the end of the hall, they would aim to make a somersault and land on our bed ! The bed broke.

I guess as a dorm Mom, I shouldn't encourage this. Then we also had our basement made into temporary living quarters . We never knew who was down there until they came up for the bathroom. I'm glad we didn't have a bathroom down there. We at least got to have a look at our visitors. It was all good.

What  I need to find out about this position is the language requirement. Being able to say " Ani Leah" and "I want one beer", might not get me very far.

It's never too late to think about my future in Israel .I wonder what the pay scale is and if there is a chance of advancement.

I try to give my small appliance equal opportunity for being used. I have a collection of them. Perhaps this is a good time to tell some of them that I don't need them anymore. That will be hard for me. I just like to know that I have them. I have a waffle iron that hasn't been used in years. I also have the best recipe for yeast waffles. I got the recipe from my Grandson. I should make the waffles again.  I have an electric knife that I use once a year when I make a brisket. Why bother keeping  it for such a small return?  Then , I have a pasta maker. I've never used it. Why am I keeping this one, too.  As long as I am counting, I have 2 Crock Pots and an electric skillet. Maybe this is one pot too many .I'm not sure about the skillet. I have to think when it was I used it last. I hadn't realized that I am so attached to my appliances. Are  they status symbols for me ,or maybe my security blanket. 

I have a few appliances that will make me feel good to get rid of. I bought them because a friend  had one. That is not a valid reason to have something that you never should have gotten. This appliance is a single use item. It was my trying to fit into the group who had this thing. Bad reason to make a purchase.Now every time I see it, I question why did I need to feel like I had to have it. Am I that insecure.? Probably.

I have to get rid of my deep fat fryer. It's just not healthy to keep it around. What do you do with all of that used oil, anyway.

A few weeks ago, a friend told me that they bought a floor scrubber at the rummage sale and loved it. He described it. It had been mine. I hadn't loved it, so It made me feel better about donating it.

It's never too late to clean out unused appliances and give them a home that will appreciate them. And make room for more purchases or not.

Maybe those fundamentalist who say that the world is coming to an end are really just realist. The news is terrible, every where. Chemicals, guns, ,spying, privacy invasion, kids killing kids, cities going bankrupt.  It makes smoking pot and using drugs mild by comparison.

I don't understand . I don't know how to help. it scares me to be so helpless. I am not indifferent to what is going on . I , as a Jew, can't close my eyes to what is happening. Someone tell me how to change this world. Who do I support, politically. And does it make a difference. I am disillusioned. If woman were in power, would things change? or is it that once you get in a position of responsibility, you get same old, same old , and it is protect your  own interest.

I'm worried. I need a better place to be in . it's never too late,I pray that this is true.

This is an anniversary of a sort. today 15 years ago, we would be driving back from the end of our vacation in Colorado. Our car would be filled with grand kids,  at least one of their parents and 2 small dogs. The car would smell of McDonalds .There would be jackets and sweaters that were discarded as we dropped in elevation and as the temperature rose. We were sorry to see this annual trip come to an end. We all loved this family adventure. 

The next day, our lives changed forever and I changed with it. Bob had his stroke. I never went back to work ,full time. That's the day when I became a different me. Bob sure was a different him. 

Our children reacted  and became the adults a parent is proud of. They came, they  gave me strength.  They took so much charge that after a few days, I had to ask the Doctor to stop looking at them when he gave us the report, and look at me when he discussed the issues at hand.

We learned who rallied to our side, who of our friends were afraid of us. Afraid because now we were not the same couple. I am ever thankful for my 20 year younger running friend and her husband. They are the ones who came over to take Bob for walks around the block when he came home from the hospital. They are special people.

It' never too late to mark an anniversary that changed my life as I knew it. It could have have been worse.

I have never lived where there were hills. My home town of New Orleans is at or below sea level. For excitement we would go to Audubon Park and walk up what we called Monkey Hill. it was man made and probably a few monkeys from the zoo were buried there. I can't think why else we called it Monkey Hill. It seemed very tall to me, a mountain tall.

Illinios has beautiful hills. but we lived in Evanston where the only hill was a man made garbage land fill that we called Mount Trashmore. We took the kids sledding there after any snow fall.

When we moved into Chicago ,and I needed a hill to train on for the New York Marathon, I would go to the park and run up and down this hill that was probably another land fill. It wasn't particularly fun .

Here in Florida, I know where a hill like structure is. It's really an overpass, but it looks like a hill to me. The one I am thinking of is on my route to my Congregation. I see it just before I make a right turn. I have never driven over it. It's on my bucket list of things to do. I often see bikers pedaling over it. The 2 wheeler type.

it's never too late to see what is on the other side of this hill, but  I think I'll do it behind the wheel of our mini van. 

Almost every morning , The first inside page of the New York Times has a Chanel ad. It is usually for a pair of shoes or a purse. What's memorable is that the price of these things is obscene. $5,000.00 for a leather purse,$1300.00 for one shoe. They only show one shoe, so I am guessing that would be $2600.00 for a pair. That's a lot of money.

What would it feel like to be able to spend this amount of money on an elective purchase. Even when I win the lottery, theses expensive items are not on my bucket list. My list includes an appointment with Stacy and Clinton from " what not to wear". I put myself in their hands. I suspect that they would make me throw out all of my recycled , repurposed clothes from Goodwill and The Salvtion Army store. I can do this.

I also know that if I could afford a $5000.00 purse, I'd leave the price tag on it. 

It's never to late to want things, but maybe a purse from Target works just as well.

I've been reading the Nefesf B Nefesh e group mail again. What is fascinating is that with the problems of political conflicts, and what all is going on in Israel, the emails are about daily problems. What to do about their Kindle white, where to get a hearing aide, and the best one ---should they bring their paper shredder from the states to Israel. answer---yes.

The Israeli is just like you and me. life goes on and it does because we have to address things like this to normalize our existence. If we take care of the daily stuff, maybe the bigger problems will go away.

Yesterday, I responded to an email on the NBN site. An ex-Pat American violin teacher who now lives in Jerusalem, is looking for students.That is just what I wanted. I wrote telling my brief history and said that I wanted to stay in touch , because I might want a teacher  in Israel. she sent me the sweetest response . She and her husband moved to Israel a few years ago. She said it was great. I have a new friend!

I can tell that I am going to have a lot of new friends in Israel. Just tell someone that you need help and they will have a solution and an opinion. That's what makes this NBN site so special. My problems are answered before I even knew that I had a problem.

It's never too late to get the answer before I have the question.

I had the most interesting conversation at Cricket's favorite pet shop. Cricket is on first name basis with the staff. I am still working on getting Cricket into her travel case and I mentioned this to the woman who was checking me out. She was full of advise. She took her dog on a flight to Singapore ! That impressed me ,even Cricket listened .I learned that if she were a Therapy dog for me, she could probably fly free. I will look into this. I did take Cricket to a nursing home ,once. She barked at the walkers. I think that she is more accepting now of disabilities and would be calmer. 

I'm curious now about why this person took her dog to Singapore.I didn't ask. Don't they eat dogs in that part of the world.? She didn't say that she came home with her pet. I will ask next time I take Cricket shopping. She did say that if I have a letter from a psychiatrist ,saying that I am anxious, and needed Cricket for comfort, I would be able to just carry her on board. We have a psychiatrist in the family, but I would never do that. Maybe I need a letter from Cricket's Vet saying that I have to accompany her as she is very anxious.

It's never too late to listen to someone's adventure and just wait for the day that you start yours.

I am so glad that I can read. Some times I think how it would be if I didn't. How could you exist. I was 4 when I learned to read. We knew the editor of the local New Orleans newspaper and he would give me the front pages of the paper with the large headlines. That's what I learned on. I remember that my hands got dirty from the newsprint . Some day, I plan to look him up in Google to see if there is any history of him.

I wonder how I will be considered in Israel. Will I be thought of as illiterate because I can't read Hebrew ? Numbers are pretty much the same universally, so I'll be OK in that regard. But I don't have a grasp of the monetary system. This could be frustrating and intimidating. I wonder how long I can get away with holding out my hand with the shekels in it and looking cute,hoping the merchant is honest. 

If I couldn't read,I would be missing out in so much. Getting a first library card was a rite of passage for me And also for our kids. being able to cursively write your name on that application was cause for celebration.

It's never too late to want to thank the person responsonsible for helping you learn to read.

Thank you, Mr. Berhorst.

I may not be able to write my blog today. everything that is hooked up to Comcast is under the weather . I have no landline and only intermittent Internet.It will be serviced tomarrow. I am so addicted to my computers that I am having withdrawal symptoms already. if I were braver, I could bring my modem into the Comcast place instead of waiting for a service call. I'm thinking about doing that. I could get ugly without my electronics.

It's never too late to admit to an addiction. That's the first step to recovery, so I've heard. 

I often wonder why I am such an early riser. I come from a family who slept late. just another reason why I am sure I was switched in the nursery.  Then to make it worse, I married a man who is an early riser. We produced 4 kids who are early risers. of course, it helps that we also go to bed early. Ours were the only kids on our block who went to sleep when the sun was still shining when it was day light savings time. 

I guses that there could be worse things for us to pass on to the kids. Some day, it would probably be useful to make a list of character traits or flaws that we each contributed to their makeup. Now we are beginning to see which of those traits have been passed on to Grandchildren.That's the fun part. So far, so good.

I do know that there were things our parents did that I didn't want to pass on to the kids. Smoking was one. Passing the salt shaker before tasting the food was another. I'll think of more.

Do you think that spelling is genetic? Or being directionally challenged? I may have passed these two on. They didn't get it from the paternal side of this union.! Thankfully, the kids have never faulted me for these two short comings that I have passed onto them.

It's never too late to just keep getting up early and and know that I can always call a kid, because they will be up too.

I wrote before of the beautiful garden that two ladies in our development have grown and nurtured. Between their hard work and the daily rain,it has out done itself. Bees and butterflies share the space. When I walked Cricket past it yesterday, I thought that Monet's garden couldn't be any prettier than what I was looking at.

I love flowers. I just can't remember to give them so much attention. It has to be a special calling to tend those flowers.That garden didn't get so beautiful without those ladies to care for it. That's their passion.

Everyone should have a passion. It's what makes us interesting, what makes our blood flow to our brain,what gives us pause and what challenges us.

I like people with a passion. Enthusiasm keeps those grey cells rejuvenated. And our grey cells need all of the help they can get!

It's never to late to have a passion,to be excited for a project,to let everyone know that those grey cells are still kicking.