Kindness across the ocean
You never know where kindness will lead. When we first launched Shaina’s kindness campaign, our goal was to bring light and meaning to a very challenging experience. We wanted Shaina to be celebrated as a force for good rather than “that poor girl”. The first sign that we were headed in the right direction cameContinue reading “Kindness across the ocean”
Would you like fries with that?
Want to insult a Jewish mother? Turn down a second helping of dinner.While other moms fret if you don’t make your bed or fold your laundry, Yiddishe mamas only want to make sure you are well fed. A Jewish mother whose child won’t eat properly goes into anxiety overdrive. Food has become a big issueContinue reading “Would you like fries with that?”
Born on the right day
You know what they say about mother’s instincts… Dial the clock back to late 2014, when a couple from our community asked me to marry them in Cape Town the following April. Cape Town is gorgeous, one of my favourite places on Earth. My answer was a resounding “Yes!”- any excuse for a visit toContinue reading “Born on the right day”
Speaking to the Great Professor
I will admit to feeling high levels of stress and anxiety yesterday. Thankfully, I remembered the story of the Professor of Hanipoli. Shaina started coughing (again) earlier this week. A visit to her pulmonologist confirmed what we had suspected: a viral chest and ear infection. We left with a shopping list for the pharmacy andContinue reading “Speaking to the Great Professor”
Choosing the right lenses
Shaina will often perch a pair of glasses on the tip of her nose and announce that she is a granny. It’s a super-cute reminder that reading glasses are for old folk. Only, I don’t laugh as much as I used to. I’ve worn glasses ever since my third-grade teacher told my mom I couldn’tContinue reading “Choosing the right lenses”
The Child Who Doesn’t Know How To Ask
I’ve always been intrigued by the “wicked” son. Not that I’ve met one in real life, but I love those who challenge Judaism with defiant questions. The Pesach seder is all about how we communicate our history and heritage to the next generation. The Haggadah identifies four varieties of children we’ll interact with: Wise, “wicked”,Continue reading “The Child Who Doesn’t Know How To Ask”
A world of kindness
“Hello young girl, what is your name?” Shaina turns heads wherever she goes. In the height of Covid, when her face mask swallowed up most of her face, her twinkling eyes drew people to her. When she walks the hospital corridors, nurses, visitors and cleaners lean in and wave to catch her eye. When sheContinue reading “A world of kindness”
You might not expect this from a rabbi
When I burst into our house on that Saturday morning last year when Naomi had her stroke, our daughter came to greet me, phone in hand. You might think that’s no big deal, but it really is. A phone is off-limits in an Orthodox Jewish home on Shabbos (a.k.a. Shabbat, the Sabbath). And I wasContinue reading “You might not expect this from a rabbi”
The toll on a mother
I missed the signs even though they had been right before my eyes. I had stared at them for ages while waiting for Shaina in the emergency room but hadn’t registered that they were relevant. I missed the sign when Naomi complained of an intense headache slightly more than a week after we rushed ShainaContinue reading “The toll on a mother”
Wedding anniversary crashers
Please G-d, Naomi and I hope to celebrate our wedding anniversary later this week. Hope? Well, the date is secured on the calendar, but last year taught us that the celebration isn’t guaranteed. Besides, Shaina is currently sedated and in ICU after her scheduled sleep tests and annual EEG didn’t work out as planned. LastContinue reading “Wedding anniversary crashers”
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