HOME & FAMILY

At first, she put the constant tiredness and irritability down to stress and worry. Baby had been ill on and off all winter. Her job as an assistant at the local nursery was an additional strain, and she felt it was all too much for her. Maybe it was `mono' or C.F.S. (chronic fatigue syndrome), but nothing showed up on the blood test.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
Keeping the System Clear
by R' Zvi Zobin

This is not a subject which is usually discussed in public. Because it is so elementary [and alimentary], it is often overlooked, yet it can be the cause of many learning and emotional disturbances.

Stranger Than Fiction
sent in by a readerh

It all started when I got into a do-gooder mood. I noticed that on a list of IOU's in the petty cash box at work, one of the workers who had long since left her job, had also left behind a small debt. I realized that no one was going to actively contact people on the list to collect a matter of a few shekels so this person would be left in the red in her Heavenly ledger. It was simple enough for me to pay up her debt and close the `account.' I would either collect the debt from her if and when I saw her, or not.

Wedding Hall Jitters
by Rosally Saltsman

Torah leaders in Israel and America have been encouraging people to cut the costs involved in making weddings, and asking them to make their simchas more modest and less ostentatious (read: expensive). Young people are starting their lives by leaving their parents in debt, sometimes in poor health, wondering how in the world they will be able to marry off the next one in line.

Frozen Dreams
by M. Steinberg

Who is a rich man? One who has a loaf of bread in his basket for tomorrow. Who is a rich woman? One who has a cake in her freezer for whenever...

LETTERS, FEEDBACK, EITZES

Each `Shimshi' is as precious and valuable as every other child and it is up to teachers and parents alike to help him reach his own potential...

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

I recently discussed the importance of nursing and the organization called the LaLeche League. One of my readers informed me that a frum organization exists that provides the same service called Neshot Chayil, an abbreviation for Chizuk Yoldot Lehanaka.

Poet's Corner
Some humor to put a proper perspective on healthfood buffs!

Elixir
by Tzipporah Zien

Jack Sprat, you know, could eat no fat at all!
His heart was weak and wouldn't beat in time!
He counted calories, cholesterol
And rode his bike to free his veins from lime!

His wife could eat no lean for hyperactive!
Five miles a day before the dawn she ran,
And steak for lunch fulfilled the doc's directive;
For breakfast, seven eggs with toasted bran.

Both well-informed, they lived with wholewheat flour,
With vitamins and supplemental zinc,
SHE caught pneumonia jogging in Spring showers,
HE drowned while downing low-fat protein drink.

They both arrived surprised at Heaven's portal!
Indeed, they quite forgot that they were mortal!