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Missing Grandma

MomGrind — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:35:44 +0000

How fitting that today, Mother's Day, is the yahrzeit (Yiddish for "a year's time," anniversary) of the passing of my beloved grandmother, Chava. Grandma passed away young, at the age of 59, when I was barely 12 years old. I think about her often, because she was the epitome of motherhood. A large woman (back when most people were not overweight) with a big heart, her entire existence centered around her children, her grandchildren, and cooking. I write about grandma with some difficulty, because I was so young when she passed. I so wish she could have stayed with us a little longer, giving me a chance to get to know her better, as an adult.

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Missing Grandma

Trapped

MomGrind — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:00:02 +0000

Waiting at the stoplight, I see the man. He's old, probably in his mid seventies. He walks slowly, pushing a walker in front of him, stopping to rest every few steps. His back is a little bent. His mouth tight. He has that look of quiet anger that so many old people have. He's trapped, the thought flashes in my head. There's a person inside that has nothing to do with this sick old body. The man inside was a young man once, a middle aged man not that long ago. He stood straight and laughed and ran, had children and grandchildren. He worked, he had friends over and went to clubs and to parties and to the movies. There's a whole life story trapped inside, a life story filled with sweet moments that have nothing to do with the anger, the weariness, the despair that a malfunctioning body brings.

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Trapped

If They Could Only See Into The Future

MomGrind — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:45 +0000

If they could only see into the future, they would have done everything in their power to run away, to escape, to leave their beloved Holland, to get away from Europe. Of course, many tried and were refused by nations who sent them right back to "where they belonged," to their deaths. But the three Jewish siblings photographed here, in April 13 1941 according to the print on the back, didn't know how bad it was going to get for them, for Jews. So they stayed in occupied Holland and hoped for the best.

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If They Could Only See Into The Future

Out of My Comfort Zone

MomGrind — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:00:23 +0000

Penny: Okay, that’s fine, but let’s try and get you out of your comfort zone. Sheldon: Why would we want to do that? It’s called the comfort zone for a reason. (The Big Bang Theory, Season 4, Episode 14)

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Out of My Comfort Zone

Airports

MomGrind — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:00:56 +0000

Airports are strange places, I think as I stand in front of the gate waiting for my father to arrive. His flight is not the only flight to arrive this early afternoon, and a flood of people is coming through the gate. Faces, strange faces, blur into each other, all looking the same. They are special to someone, I'm sure, each of them possessing the ability to light up the face of a few loved ones. But they are strangers to me, and they are annoying because the human clutter they create interferes with my ability to locate my father in the crowd.

I Don’t Have Grandparents Anymore

MomGrind — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:00:42 +0000

I'm so sorry I didn't get to say goodbye, oma. I love you. You passed away peacefully, at home, in your sleep, at the age of 95, surrounded by family. You were fairly healthy up until last year, when you started deteriorating, your systems systematically shutting down. The past couple of months were tough, and I scheduled a flight to Tel Aviv, hoping to see you this Thanksgiving holiday, but I didn't make it. You didn't make it. Which I am told is a good thing, because you were suffering. It was your time and you had to go.

Memories

MomGrind — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:00:55 +0000

I was deeply touched by the following dedication on one of the books my daughter had borrowed at the library recently - Lucy the Good, by Marianne Musgrove: "In memory of Dad: the trips to the museum, bush walks in the Gorge, our special rock, the bagatelles and Chocolate Night, Channel Two, the Alhambra and that terry-toweling hat."