Today is Yom Ha’Shoah - Holocaust Remebrance Day, which commemorates the lives and heroism of those who perished in the Holocaust. I would be remiss to let the day go by without the appropriate recognition. Last Sunday, we attended the annual commemoration held at Temple Emanu-El in New York. My mother was invited to give the remarks reserved for a …
Another fall from grace. Another moment to reflect upon those who have been in positions of power, or positions of public admiration and fallen. Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and second in succession for the presidency, was sentenced to more than one year in prison for violating banking laws in a hush money scheme t …
Here's how the story came to me. My brother-in-law was waiting in his car on line at his local gas station. Apparently, there is a time honored method to the queue at this particular station. My brother-in-law is very mild mannered, so I imagine that he never expected what was to come next. A car pulled up next to him and the driver rolled down hi …
We were in Washington last weekend and visited a wonderful exhibit at the Renwick Gallery, a small gallery near the White House dedicated to the crafts. The exhibit was "Wonder" and explored and evoked in me (and, if the purpose of the exhibit was realized, in others), the reaction, response, and significance of wonder. "It is not understanding tha …
Sometimes there are things that are right before your eyes, but you never notice. Or you never realize what you're looking at...or exactly what it means. Also, you're never too old to learn something new. That's how I felt a few months ago when I learned that the little gas pump symbol on your car's dashboard has a little arrow that tells you wh …
There is no doubt that the picture accompanying this blog is worth a thousand words. It is a picture of my mother holding her newest great grandson a few days ago. Four generations in a single picture. (Yes, although not immediately visible, I am in that chain from my mother to my grandson.) It is a beautiful picture. One that I will cherish foreve …
Sidney Rosen passed away last weekend, a day after his 92nd birthday. Many in our Gotham family had met Sidney over the years as he accompanied my mother to Gotham events. Mom and Sidney had twelve wonderful years together -- sharing their love, companionship, friends and families. They both grew and blossomed over those years. There ought to be a …
While we were in Hawaii recently, we were told that there is no word for “hate” in the Hawaiian language. I am not sure whether it's true. But we heard it several times. Nevertheless, the notion that there is no word for “hate” in a language is a beautiful thing. Imagine (with a nod to John Lennon) a culture developing without the need to find a …
We were at the local diner. Seated in a booth by the window overlooking the stairs leading up to the front door. A perfect perch to view those coming and going. I noticed the couple as they walked carefully from their car to the stairs. They were elderly. As he reached to hold her hand and help her toward the stairs, it was with the tenderness of t …
A lesson in how it works. Last Sunday there was a Fredslist posting from Warren looking for a nurse in Delray Florida for his mother. I saw the posting and got an email from Debbie highlighting it and asking me to forward it to the Advocates. I did and also emailed Warren with my suggestions for how best to proceed. But that wasn't the end. Fl …
