HOME & FAMILY

Today I found out that my current job will soon be coming to an end. I wasn't particularly surprised and, oddly enough, not really upset either. I know that somehow, another job will come along. Living here in Eretz Yisroel, parnossa and emuna are totally intertwined.

Helping Your Child With Anger Control
by Masha Wolf, M. A., Child Therapist

We have dealt with specific examples and techniques in helping a child with anger control. The last idea was to have the child draw a picture of himself in a situation that angered him. On the left side, he was told to draw a thought bubble, as in a cartoon, and fill in with what he was thinking. We continue:

LETTERS, EITZES, FEEDBACK
From L.Z., Haifa:

It's Never Too Early
by Raizel Foner, Kiryat Sefer

I must admit, I enjoy Pesach cleaning. [Three cheers for you, Raizel! Say it again for our readers!] At least, up to the last part. Here are some tips I'd like to pass on, because it's never too early to begin cleaning,

A Mitzva of One's Own
by Rosally Saltsman

There's a man I see who goes around with some kind of spice- herb in his hand and asks men to make a blessing and take a whiff. I mentioned this to a neighbor and she said that she's seen him, too, and this is what he does all day. Mezake es horabbim. She said that when he dies, he'll be in a wonderfully aromatic part of Gan Eden.

Your Medical Questions Answered!
by Joseph B. Leibman, MD

Last week we discussed the teeth, I'd like to continue the series with a further discussion of the mouth and then we will discuss the other structures of the face in future columns.

Poet's Corner
Laundry of Life
by Raize Guttman

All morning I sorted the clothing unclean

Then loaded and unloaded from the washing machine.

I finally inserted the final bundle from the floor,

The pile was so high and now it's no more!

But as I walked cheerfully into the children's room,

My heart sank into puddles of gloom!

Their pajamas needed washing -- they were scattered to and fro,

And then I remembered -- today I wash their bedlinen -- Oh, no!

I said: O.K. It's just another bundle, and then I'm done.

Inside I felt the Battle of the Wash was still overcome.

But then in the kitchen I did encounter

Some dirty towels on the counter.

*

As my children entered and shouted their hellos,

All I saw was their dirty clothes.

And I said: When will the dirty laundry ever end?

Will there always be something to wash or to mend?

Of course there will be! My thoughts had just begun,

As long as we live, there is work to be done!

*

In the Laundry of Life there is so much to clean,

Our souls need cleansing, we must stop being mean.

Some middos need a rinse, others need a spin,

Some are so stained, we must put new ones in!

There is always another basket of laundry in line,

There is always another character trait to refine.

So let's remember this thought with each laundry pile,

And when our children say hello --

LET'S GREET THEM WITH A (LAUNDERED) SMILE!

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