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31 weeks/Vision

Dear Friends, As we begin the month of November where we celebrate Thanksgiving and give thanks for all our blessings, I want to write about a number of things that should bring joy to all of us as we continue to miss Sue so very much.   This week, an old friend reached out and reminded me of something I have taught so many people over the years.  Death may end a life but it never ends a relationship.  And to all of you who knew Sue, I know that our relationships with Sue will always remain strong because love and kindness matter.  The Psalmist tells us that love conquers death and so our relationships with her will always remind us of hope and optimism in the midst of despair and challenges.  I continue to need you  to remind me about this in the midst of my sadness. Secondly, a cousin of mine found pictures of Sue from when she spent a gap year in Israel working on a Kibbutz.  She sent me two pictures of Sue from her time on the Kibbutz (my cousin knew her before I did).  I was able...
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Seven Months

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 Hi Everyone, Today is seven months since Sue died and needless to say the mood swings are dramatic.  I have been surrounded all day by loving people who are holding my heart and encouraging me through their friendship to hang on when sometimes there is nothing in me except the will which says, "hold on."  (See Rudyard Kipling's poem, "If" to which I have referred before but seems very timely tonight) As I reflect on the ups and downs of the past seven months, I am thinking about the significance of the number seven as it relates to the days of creation and the days of the week.  We recall the number seven and remember that on the seventh day G-d completed creation and rested.  Maybe it is time to celebrate creation and all the kindness and love  which we have created and let grief rest.  Maybe it is time to celebrate the morning of a new day of hope and let mourning rest.  (Easier said than done, but I am trying...) YouTube ·...
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30 Weeks and Counting/ Sparkles of Hope

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Dear Friends, So many of you have been encouraging me to be more joyful in these blogs and to try to capture Sue's joy and the essence of her spirit.   You all know how much I miss her so let me share with you a number of things that have been resonating with me lately.  Perhaps it is the excitement of a game seven in the World Series, or perhaps it was the joyful way in which our neighbors and I exchanged jokes for candy last night during Halloween, or perhaps it was the encouragement of a colleague, or perhaps, it was the love of our children, grandchildren, and relatives and friends, or perhaps it was the support of my friends and colleagues at George Mason, or perhaps it was a young person's comment last night when I asked them how one could tell it is a bad Dad joke and they responded, "because you told it" which had me speechless ( a rarity)... At any rate here goes and please read this entire blog which is lengthy.  I hope you will be glad you did. ...
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October 27, 1974

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 Dear Friends, I hope you will forgive me for filling your inbox but as I sit here alone in the house after a beautiful weekend with a couple of you in the midwest (you know who you are), it has been a time to reflect. On Sunday, Oct. 27, 1974 I didn't feel well and Sue came to visit me in the dorm and brought me some chicken soup that she had heated up in the microwave in the lounge   at Blaisdell Hall at the University of Illinois which was part of Pennsylvania Ave. Residence Halls .   I was so very touched by Sue's act of kindness (who knew that this was the beginning of what would be over 50 years of receiving acts of kindness from my beloved friend). Today and tomorrow mark the 51st anniversary of that special moment in our lives.  And, maybe more important than feeling better from the chicken soup which is often known as Jewish penicillin, was what followed. I asked her to marry me and well please listen to the lyrics below and you will understand w...
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29 Weeks

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  Dear Friends, There used to be a television program called "that was the week that was..." which reviewed events of the previous week. Well for those of you who have been reading these blogs religiously, this past week was a tough week and this blog will be intense.  But I haven't hidden my feelings for 29 weeks so why start now?  . In the weekly Torah reading, we read about the Tower of Babel and how language was confused as folks tried  to  build a tower to heaven.  As I think about their difficulty in communicating, I continue to think about the things that we sometimes neglect to say to our loved ones when we can. I had the opportunity to see the musical,  Damn Yankees  this week and the following song was very poignant for me.  As  you  listen to the lyrics, you will understand that when one doesn't  have the chance to say goodbye, one is filled with lots of mixed emotions about what was said and...
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