HOME & FAMILY

This true story, with names and details changed, happened about twenty years ago, and was first printed in the Hebrew Yated.

The Joy of the Berachah
Managing Large Families
by Esther Weil

Whenever someone wants to celebrate, they must prepare it themselves. On my birthday, I bought myself balloons and prepared a treasure hunt and then I invited everyone to celebrate . . .

LIFE JOURNEYS: LESSONS FROM THE HEART
Waiting for Life to Begin
by Sara Gutfreund

For as long as he can remember he had been waiting. When he was little he had waited for the ordinary things. For his mother to finish packing up for the park. For the cookies to bake. For recess to begin. For his younger brother to wake up from his nap. For his Abba to come home.

Sasson v'Simchah
by Dena Neuman

Part II

"If you have been dating for a few years and haven't been able to develop a connection with anyone after several dates, it's possible that a dating mentor can help you." That is how psychotherapist Rosie Einhorn and family lawyer Sherry Zimmerman see it.

So They Won't Fight
by Bayla Gimmel

Parents often discuss serious matters in front of their young children. It doesn't seem to bother them that they may get into arguments and even raise their voices. The parents' reasoning goes something like this, "Our children will surely realize that their parents love each other and that we are not fighting. It is obvious that we just happen to disagree on this particular subject and want to bring the issue to closure."

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Platform for Tzniyus

Who Creates the Demand???

I heard about a woman who called up a well known store that caters to the chareidi public and asked why they don't carry clothing that is more modest.

The Scoffing Sun
by Drora Matlofsky

Hashem in Heaven laughs.

Go do something about the weather . . .

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

I recently had to play the other side. My father, he should live and be well, was rushed to the hospital last week and put in the ICU. ICUs are pressure atmospheres, and my family now met this stressing atmosphere.

Cholesterol: The Unseen Killer!
by Dr. Reuven Bruner, Ph.D.

You can't see it. You won't even feel it. But there's no doubt that it's there. It's that unseen, plaque-like silent killer — a waxy, yellow substance called cholesterol.

POETS' CORNER

. . . hear a tear drop

Craving
by Freda Walden

I crave my walk to silence
Stairs to climb, an open door.
A crowded room awaits me
No one looks up,
Too absorbed to pause.

I sink onto a chair,
Psalms slide my way
Across a polished table.
I swallow, thankfully
Join the whisperers.

A finely tuned ear
Could hear a tear drop,
A page turn and sigh,
Humanity's anguish,
Moshiach approaching.

. . . spend the summer waiting for school to begin

I Used To

by Drora Matlofsky

I used to know how to stand on my hands.
Now I have learned how to stand on my feet.

I used to spend the school year waiting for the summer vacation to begin.
Now I spend the summer waiting for the school year to begin.

I used to spend all my money on toys, books and sweets.
Only now do I know what I really want.

I used to believe adults were powerful.
Now I know only Hashem is powerful.

I used to fantasize about my future.
Now I enjoy the present.

I used to go to Mommy when I had a problem.
Now I go to Mommy when she has a problem.

I used to say: "I'll never do that to my children."
Now sometimes I am sorry I didn't.

I used to show my fear without shame.
Now my worst fear is shame.

I used to jump wildly on my bed.
Now I collapse on it with a book I am too tired to read.

I used to believe in justice and trust everyone.
Now I have learned to trust my judgment.

I used to think, "I am too young."
Now I think, "I am too old."

Was I ever the right age?