My best friend

Four years ago, one of my best friends moved away. We had only been friends for a few years, however, we were tight, like Thelma and Louise. She got divorced, and wanted to move away and start a whole new life. I was very sad, and I felt a bit rejected. However, I knew it was the best thing for both her and her X. So she left, and I gave her the space of starting over. We never spoke again. We got the X in the divorce.

So how does one do it when you have 2 couples who are best of friends. The females are best friends and the males are best friends. No easy answer. She was very brave to move away, and I can happily say, she has blossomed. My friend is a happy newleywed. I'm so proud of her.

This past Sept or Oct. I contacted her and we've been in touch ever since. Finally the day came where we would meet...she was in Houston for a few days, helping a friend move into an apt for cancer treatment at md anderson. We spoke about a 100 times by phone, and only had a few hours over dinner to visit.

And once again, Thelma and Louse are back...

Lost and Found

Almost every morning, I take Buddy on a walk. However, since this is my summer vacation, sometimes I tend to sleep too late. That means it's too hot to walk outside. Most days we do get the exercise, though.

So what do you do on your walk. We all know what the dog does....he jumps up and down off the curb, he walks on the curb, he pees on everything, he sniffs everything, and runs through the puddles.

I don't listen to music, this is really my time to just think and relax. My eyes are always alert, though, because I am the lost and found treasure master. Everyday, I find interesting things.

Today I found a tennis ball for Buddy, a penny for charity, lots of nuts and bolts, and one nail which I will prevent someone from having a flat tire.

Yesterday was a better find, a great floppy camoflauge hat, that had been run over about a million times. I picked it from the middle of the street, washed it, and it's good as new. Last week my finds were 10 beautiful glass stones, which i will use in my kindergarten class when we read "Stone Soup."

In the past, I have found several loaded wallets, a purse, a bank bag filled with money and checks, a 3 carat diamond ring, a diamond chipped tennis bracelet, cash of all sorts, golf balls, and all kinds of other miscellaneous things. Almost all of the items made it back to the owners, with the exception of the bracelet and loose change.

Marboro cigarettes use to have this program where they have a little points coupon on their box. The points are collected and you can trade them in for merchandise. No one in my family smokes, nor did any of my friends. When my kids were little, we would pick up the boxes from the street, tear off the coupon, and we ended up with all kinds of "Marboro stuff". We were able to freely purchase luggage, t-shirts, etc . Imagine, all this from people's trash, which they throw on the ground. During the course of my walk around the neighborhood, I'd get at least 5 coupons.

So we not only collected the coupons, we were cleaning up the streeet, as well.

birthdays

This was a busy week for bdays. My mother had hers on saturday and my sister in law (leenie) has hers on wed. Last night we went to Fuddruckers to celebrate Leenie's bday early. I think Sophie enjoyed the cupcake most of all.

Shower Time

Sophie loves our shower!

TGIS

It's been a very busy week for me...Thank G-d It's Shabbos....a time to relax and reflect.

Shabbat Shalom

Eric and Heather in Israel

That's Eric, always with a camera in his hand!

For the past 6 weeks, Eric and Heather have been leading a group of teens throughout Prague, Poland, and Israel. Hope you enjoy a few of the pictures .

Mendel has fun

Last week, one of my prior students fell into a coma. Mendel has Glycogen Storage Disease. A person with a Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD) has an absence or deficiency of one of the enzymes responsible for making or breaking down glycogen in the body. This is called an enzyme deficiency. He does not eat anything with sugar. To counter balance all of this, every 4 hours Mendel drinks cornstarch mixed with water or food. Last weekend, he missed his 4am dose and after having seizures, Mendel went into a coma. It was a long, scarry week for his family, friends and their community. Prayers were said around the world for him, and within a few days, Mendel was able to make a 100% recovery. On Friday, Juggles and I went up to the hospital to entertain him. I'm not sure who was happier...Mendel or his mother. Clowning is exactly about that: putting a smile on the faces of the patients and their families. It is a brief distraction from the sadness they are facing. I am so glad that I can help, not only with prayers, but with smiles.

Picture Page

These pictures just made it out of my camera.

They were from Eddie's 55th birthday, last week.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mother in law's birthday. Her family: her children, grandchildren, and yes...her great grandchildren are her most valued possessions. Tonight, we are all taking her out for dinner...nothing fancy, just good ole togetherness.

Fireworks on the lawn

My friend, Kathy, took these great shots on July 4,

taken in my backyard,

while watching fireworks.

Happy Birthday Eddie

Guess who turned 55 today!

Five powerful lessons

Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people. I think the last story is the most powerful, but you decide.


1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: 'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?' Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. 'Absolutely,' said the professor. 'In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello.' I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:3 0 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s.. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.. It read: 'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away.. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.' Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Less on - Always remember those who serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. 'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked. 'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. 'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. 'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. 'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cash ier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Up on approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

- Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago , when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'. Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her but he had chosen to save her anyway.

Computer illiterate

My internet connection suddenly went out last night. All day, today, I couldn't get it to connect. I'm so bad with machines! When Eddie came home, I let him call Comcast and see what the problem was. After much trial and error, looks like there was a tiny little button on the front of my computer that I much have pushed. The disconnects the internet service. Glad it was an easy fix.

Too tired to blog tonight. Don't forget to say the prayer tomorrow for Gilad Shalit.