HOME & FAMILY

MONOLOGUE

Good afternoon to you, K'vod Harav.

Thank you, I hope it WILL be a good afternoon. I've had a lousy morning. I had a ride all the way to Neve Yaakov, which isn't bad, but I drove around there for twenty minutes and couldn't find anyone willing to come back to town. You're my first pickup.

LETTERS, FEEDBACK

Having read Devora Weinberger's article about stepmothers, I would like to write about my feelings towards my husband's four married daughters and twenty-six grandchildren.

In the Arena
by Rosally Saltsman

I think I finally understand how life works. Okay, so it's taken me the better part of half a century, but I think I've got it now. So here it is:

WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO FIX OUR MAJOR PROBLEMS. Now please bear with me.

Three Keys to Preserving Authority
by Sheindel Shapiro

In today's world, one of the biggest challenges confronting parents is how to maintain and preserve the authority of parents, teachers and Rabbonim in the eyes of the children.

Mind Your Back
by S. Bender

Back pain can hit anyone at any age and at any time.

The spine is composed of a very sophisticated set of bones and nerves. The spinal cord is the main pathway of communication between the brain and the rest of the body...

Half Full
by Ruth Fogelman

A sequel to last week's rainy day saga in which Ruth's dryer was repaired, only for her to discover that her stove had also sprung a gas leak which cannot be repaired...

Procrastination
by Gita Gordon

It Depends

The winter rains have come and still, the last remains of Succos lies on the balcony: the steel poles making up the succa. Years of experience have taught me to quickly put away the bamboo roofing before the winter rains come down. The canvas, too, is easily folded and stowed away. The wooden planks that help hold up the schach are quickly taken to the downstairs storeroom. Why is it, then, that every year I have the same problem: these heavy steel supports lie rusting in the rain?

Sheva Brochos
by Tzvia Ehrlich Klein

Well, the wedding is over. But it's not yet time to relax and return to the normal pace of one's daily life. First one has to survive sheva brochos. And, if you have not yet made them for anyone, or if you haven't yet been the parent of a newly-wed child, you haven't been through anything yet... may we have many such ordeals!

Keep Smiling
Short inspirational pieces by Avrohom Tzvi Schwartz, Kiryat Sefer, author of "A Handful of Light", "Hearts on Fire" and his latest, "Be Happy and Succeed".

Listening

We cannot do much to lengthen our lives. Having a good diet helps. Exercise is also good. Being happy is one of the best tonics of all. Still, there are no guarantees.

Can Poor Sleep Affect Your Weight?
by Dr. Reuven Bruner, Ph.D.

My typical reader could probably take off some extra pounds. But what you might not know is that a little extra sleep could be the answer.

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

I have been asked to write on Alzheimer's disease and I have written on it in the recent past. Alzheimer's usually affects people who often do not recognize necessarily that they are becoming more confused. Often they get lost on the way home and can't remember where they live. They may forget articles of clothing. Those who recognize the decline in function may suffer from depression.

POET'S CORNER

An Only Child
by Ziporah Zien

Just one! A one-and-only, lonely child,

Whom Mother needs to entertain and tend,
To raise but one without him turning wild,
Takes all the wits that she's allowed to spend.

But she has raised a family full of children!
The number vies with every Mom next door,
Had she considered any one a burden?
She just regrets she wasn't granted more!

So how is it that this one is so lonely?
He's simply last in line, without a peer.
His sisters have all found their one-and-only,
His brothers — in yeshivos far and near.

Thus every mother stands to raise or spoil,
This final chance to prove her love is loyal.