Silver bowls gleaming
Balls of Dough perfectly rounded
surround you from kitchens worldwide
They Form a circle of protection around you
A prayer. on the lips of woman everywhere
"hashem, how long can she stand by the gate??unlock the doors!!!
Send her wishes pouring out,
Make all her dreams come true"
Like many of the children on the surrounding streets, my friend's kids ride their bikes and scooters daily to their schools in the center of the neighborhood.
Last week a friend's child was hit by a car that didn't come to a stop while pulling out of a driveway. Although the bike is damaged and the child banged up, Baruch Hashem he sustained no major injuries, and the mother was very grateful for the brand-new helmet that was less than a week old.
While recounting the story to a visitor, my friend realized the full extent of the Diving Providence behind the new helmet.
My friend goes upstate every Purim. Over the course of Shabbos, her youngest lost his shoes- the only pair he had brought with him. After searching the house high and low, she took him to the nearby Walmart after Shabbat for a new pair. She decided to take along one other son so he could get some things he was missing. While there she had him try on a new helmet as his was looking aged and worn. Had the shoes not gone missing, she would have planned Walmart for Sunday with the entire family in tow, and they would have ended up skipping it all together as the morning ran well behind schedule.
As frustrating as it is when we misplace things, everything has a reason. Every detail is orchestrated by G-d, even a pair of shoes has a purpose.
A few nights ago I was sitting on the floor reading books with Shneur Zalman and he brought over my wedding album. We flipped through the pages together until I came across a particular photo. I called across the room to Yossi "hey look it's Tanta pesha"! Immediately Yossi began to turn deliberately in several directions looking for her all around the room. Dov brought the album over to Yossi who became very excited while looking at the photograph.
In that moment I was filled with both wonder and pain.
Pain that it's days away from her 15th yartzeit and moshiach isn't here yet. Pain that so much time has passed. Pain that I'm forgetting someone from whom I was inseparable.
And Wonder. Wonder that Yossi remembers. Yossi remembers someone he last saw when he was two. He remembers someone from 15 years ago whose name we rarely mention, whose picture we seldom display. He remembers. He remembers the hours pesha held him and rocked him. When we were stressed and worried about his health she'd take him from our arms tell him softly to "come chill with your Tanta Pesha". Yossi has always seen beyond what the eye sees, so I should not be so surprised that he remembers and deep down I know that my neshama remembers too.
One day at a time one step at a time- shneur zalman is walking! He took off a few days ago and hasn't stopped since. Seeing Yossi struggle with walking makes each of these steps that much sweeter. Each moment is precious to me, I can't get enough of it! I don't know what the future holds but seeing shneur zalman reach this milestone is reassuring, I know that everything is gonna be alright.
I was walking home shabbos afternoon past my neighbor's house. He was just sitting down on his porch to enjoy some fresh air with his wife. Suddenly his hatzalah radio went off and in seconds he was in his car, medical bags in tow, running to help someone in distress. I stopped to talk to his wife and we observed the children of another neighbor walking together towards home, their father having left shul to go on the same hatzalah call.
Thank you to all the volunteers who give up their family time, their down time, their any time to run and help someone in distress. Thank you to the wives who hold down the fort. Thank you to the kids who miss their dads. Thank you to the humble and giving individuals who have shown up for us time and time again.
We always look forward to grand milestones and events. Instead today I'm celebrating the small achievements.
Shneur zalman (10 months) just figured out how to get onto his belly from a sitting position.
Miriam Simcha (4 yr) stopped her in the middle of yelling/grabbing and asked nicely to choose s vitamin herself.
Yossi (16 yr !?!?!) Is doing high bridges ( lifting his bottom) to assist with changing/dressing. He used to be able to do that and much more but Yossi's gross motor ability had dropped considerably for a number of reasons. It's been a year and a half since he resumed working with Verne (his favorite person on earth, sorry grandma) and I'm beyond grateful to see the results.
Of all the days in the calendar Chof hey cheshvan seems like such a random date. However I've now met 7 people who share my birthday! Through the years I've met them in many of the places that I've been: Baltimore, MD Sarasota, FL, Toronto, ON, Bournemouth, UK, Crown Heights, Staten Island, and now East Flatbush. I think it's just another sign of divine providence in my life, that I am exactly where I'm meant to be.
