Last week I was listening to a shiur from my favorite site, let's all say it together now, Chabad dot org ... Sara Esther Crispe gave one on Anxiety Relief (found
right here ). She mentioned something that makes a lot of sense. Most people (myself included) just want to live a peaceful life with no stress. She mentioned that there is a time when that will happen. In medical terminology, that is called flat lining. Otherwise, life is full of valleys and peaks, highs and lows. Another example is a woman in labor. She said that when those peaks are small then honey, you are going to be having that baby any time soon ... those peaks have to get super high in order to be near to giving birth. A totally new outlook on those good times and especially those not so seemingly good times we all go through. OK, so that was last Sunday I heard the class. I was heading towards a huge peak in my life, a big milestone ... My first grandchild's upsherin, Joey's haircut. (For those who don't know, we don't cut a Jewish boy's hair until his third birthday.) I've been really excited and happy about this! What a fun reason to go shopping. (Yeah, like I have ever needed a reason, but I digress here.) I got a cute top, and fun shoes ... I was scheduled to get my shaitel (wig) done. Everything was shaping up nicely until BAM! I hit a brick wall. Like, my whole world came crashing down. I have no idea why. Honestly, I can't even begin to describe why I crashed so hard. Suffice it to say, I was plunged so deep into the abyss of mourning that (THANK G-D!) rarely see these days. I mean, the pain that fills your chest with a huge heaviness, a pain that feels like if you don't push it off it will totally consume you. It is a pain that total overwhelms you. I crashed on Thursday, and I wasn't even sure where to turn. The pain just washed over me. I climbed into bed and just cried. It was a longing that I just wanted to get off this bereavement train. I've done it for long enough. I know it's totally not rational, and I know that there are very few who will understand this next thought, but seriously, I wanted to go down to the cemetery and dig Yossi up. Yup. I was planning on just making him be alive again, no more bereaved mom business, I'm done. How? I don't know, but that was the plan. Which is why I knew there was no way I could go down to the cemetery, because I knew full well that that could not happen. So what else could I do? I turned to my cyber friends. I cried on their shoulders. (Thank G-d also for What's App, and for my bereaved friends.) Through their strength and caring and hand holding, they got me through. (Yes, I stayed in bed until Michoel came home ... I feel so bad for him. Must be awful to come home to a crying wife, one who won't stop crying all night.) Even more though than the words they spoke to me that day and night, were the words I got the next day. Every single one of them wrote to me the next day to see how I was doing. The weight just seemed to roll off me that night, and by the next day I was fine again. But these wonderful friends did not wait for me to let them know, they all wrote to me inquiring about my well being. Literally, within an hour of each other! One of my seminary classmates lost her husband the week before. She wrote a beautiful letter to the entire community thanking everyone for their support. One line that struck me was that she said, Hashem prepared the cure before the sickness, surrounding her with family and friends both near and far to help her. That is exactly what happened in my case. Hashem has blessed me with loving friends (some of whom I have never even met in person!) to help me in a time when I was so low. It still goes even further ... these friends rejoiced with me (via What's App) in the celebration today. I was able to see a small glimpse of rays of sunshine in a dark journey. I am blowing kisses to you guys; and you know who you are. (Especially since I am sending you links to this post!)
So now onto the good stuff!
This is Joey this morning, just before he got ready to go to his haircut --
Ushi's dad taking the first snip--
Michoel was honored with the second snip --
I got the third snip --
I didn't record any of the other people cutting, but at that point, I called Shoshana on Duo. Shauly had Sruli on the his phone, and both kids were able to participate through the wonders of modern technology. Here is a picture of Sruli with Joey --
and here is my handsome little grandson enjoying looking like a gorgeous little boy --
Sort of a before and after shot in one here:
Rikki and I were playing together making funny faces and smiley faces into my phone--
and some selfies --
Overall, it was a very happy day, and yes, I do thank Hashem for not only letting me see this great milestone, but for putting people in my life who share them with me.
As the saying goes -- NAR SIMCHOS! We should only share happiness together.
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