HOME & FAMILY

Children love to play with words. They enjoy the mixing of sounds and they appreciate how similar-sounding words can have totally different meanings. Hebrew is much more powerful than English and so, it is much easier to `play' with Hebrew words than with English words.

A Week in the Life Of...
by F. Lifshitz

Mrs. H., a lovable friend well into her eighties, is concerned about the wrinkles on her face. I assure her that they're the product of smiling all the time! Rain or shine.

Food for Thought
by Shira Zinger

Every Rosh Chodesh, Morah Rochel, a seventh grade teacher in a Jerusalem Bais Yaakov school, holds a party for her students. For many years, each student would bring something for the party, which was collected by the class coordinator and laid out for the party.

The Guest on the Sidelines
by M. Chevroni

You get to the wedding hall a little earlier than you expected, when the relatives and close friends of the hosts are still seated by their quarter- chicken portion, and you feel out of place. It's not as if you don't have your invitation in the catch-all drawer at home. For sure. Still, it's not so pleasant.

LETTERS, FEEDBACK, EITZES

From Ruth Palatnik

Re: Getting children to eat solids

My Down's syndrome daughter, Rina, had extreme trouble learning to eat solids, but the food-in-cheek method [see previous LETTERS] helped. We started with slices of Bamba. However, I was upset by the recommendation of `chunky' food.

View From Above
by Rosally Saltsman

My son, may he live till 120, finds it difficult to understand how I always know what he's doing on the men's side of the shul, no matter what separates the men from the women -- curtains, heavy glass, a steep staircase or all of the above.

Hurray! We're Also Yichus!
by Sudy Rosengarten

The news from America was not good. Shmil's wife, Hendel, was sick. Very sick. My husband made me promise not to tell Pa, to spare him the aggravation.

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

Adult vaccinations are important. The flu virus has the ability to change itself with ease, so a flu shot every year is recommended for health professionals and those at risk. As flu can be debilitating -- four years ago more than half of the labor force in Holland was in bed due to the flu -- and because some cases do go bad -- 35000 people died of flu last year worldwide -- I think it is a good idea to get this shot. It takes about three weeks to develop immunity, so this shot is generally given during the autumn.

A Salmon A Day Keeps The Eye Doc Away
By Dr. Reuven Bruner, Ph.D.

High intake of several types of fat has been linked to an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an untreatable eye disease. But one specific fat decreases that risk.

POET'S CORNER

Two by Drora Matlofsky

Dirty Glasses

We are looking at the world
Through dirty glasses.
Some areas are unclear,
Some are specked with dirt.

We frown and make faces:
How ugly! How dirty!
How can that be?

We try to scrub off the dirt,
Or to get closer to the blurred areas.
Nothing does it.
The blur remains,
As blurry as ever.
The dirt won't come off.

Exasperated, we throw off the glasses,
Like the scientist in the children's book
Who wore seven pairs of glasses
And as he took each pair off,
He saw better.

But no. No miracle.
Without glasses, it's even worse.
Fog.
Despair.

We never dream of CLEANING the glasses.

But...

But what if it wasn't true?
But what if they were all lying to me?
But what if I didn't succeed?
But what if I failed?
But what if I made a mistake?
But what if I got hurt?
But what will people say?

But I'm too tired...
But it's too hard.
But it's boring.
But I don't feel like it.

Didn't they teach you in school never to start a sentence with

BUT

?