HOME & FAMILY

Dina sauntered down the street, delighting in the sight of the dancing sunbeams which burnished the leaves of the trees. "Ah, what bliss," she sighed. "Hashem's world is so beautiful!"

Children in Care
by A. Ross, M.Ed.

Mothers should not feel guilty if they cannot manage all the time, but should bear in mind that the more time and attention they give the child, the better it will be for both of them.

Bright Beginnings
by Bayla Gimmel

It is Elul. We are turning the last few pages in our old much- used calendar.

However, the school year has just begun. The children are entering new classrooms, meeting new teachers and tackling new subject matter. It is a bright beginning.

The Master Auditor
by Rosally Saltsman

I think that perhaps Hashem is annoyed with me. Perhaps all this financial advice I've been giving has failed to sufficiently take into account that as far as money goes, or matters, He has the final say. I have this feeling because for all my hishtadlus lately, and despite the fact that He is still performing unexpected miracles in my favor, as fast as I am filling up the coffers, they are being emptied in rather unexpected ways.

Collections
by Kaila Kohn

An elderly woman I know who lives alone collects interesting wedding invitations and over the years, has accumulated some very fascinating ones, at no cost to her. It has also kept her connected with her neighbors, who add to her collection and take time out to view it.

What other innovative tangibles can one collect? Without spending money?

BOOK REVIEW
When Children Fight
by Miriam Levi, Artscroll PocketScroll Series
reviewed by Elisheva Leah Nadler

Miriam Levi's When Children Fight is an excellent handbook for parents and teachers in dealing with parent- child relationships and how to build and improve them. Specifically, it focuses on how parents can foster peaceful relations between siblings and other children.

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

There are possibilities for making painful procedures go easier, and these should be available in all emergency departments. One that is easily administered is nitrous oxide or laughing gas. It is a amnesic, meaning the patient may not remember what occurred during the time he received the gas, and it is analgesic, meaning it controls pain. However, its effects are not that strong and it often causes vomiting if used for more than a few minutes.

POET'S CORNER

Three . . .
by Ruth Lewis

Have You Noticed?

Have you noticed
How the calendars are getting thinner
With every passing year?

Time was when
It seemed to take forever
To wade through them.

Now the pages just zip by
In no time flat.

Was it not only some weeks ago
That I brought this new one,
Blank-paged, clean?
Now scribbled, doodled,
Full, so nearly ended.

Have you
Noticed, too?

Ripple Effect

Chassy saw a lady in a shawl,
Considered briefly (Would I? No...)
Pinned her collar
Closer about her neck.

Yudit saw a lady with her collar pinned,
Considered briefly ("Would I?" No...)
Rolled her sleeves down,
Buttoning the cuffs.

Kathy, at the Western Wall,
Saw a lady with long sleeves,
Considered briefly ("Would I?" No...)
Wrapped a scarf around her shoulders.

Rippling, ever rippling on
Into infinity.

Calling Out

Calling out to G-d,
Hearing the sound of thin silence.
"What are you doing here?"
What am I doing here?
Trying to get my act together
And calling out to Him.

"Hoshana, help me, please!"
"Hoshia Na, please help us!"
Between shofar blasts,
Between the blasts of mundane activity,
Let me reply -- "Help me bring Your light
Into the world."