SIGNS FROM HEAVEN, Part 1

There is a popular trope in fiction and movies - at a certain point the hero or the heroine would ask The Heavens (or a dearly departed) for some kind of a sign to know for sure that whatever action is about to be undertaken is the right one.  This makes for a touching, or a romantic, or a heart-wrenching scene; but the real life is much more simple - and much more complex.

I firmly believe that Gd speaks to us all the time, and there is no need to ask for signs - they are just there: in the majesty of nature, in the love of our families, in the myriad of blessings bestowed upon us....heck, even in the craziness of this world and our fellow humans...and sometimes the message is so clear that it takes your breath away....

This past Monday Beloved Sibling sent me two consecutive media "bombs" - first was of the Israeli freedom convoy; the second was of our beautiful Sabra One donating her hair, which she painstakingly grew after the last donation so that she can donate it again!  This, right there, was to me the entire meaning of life encapsulated in a bunch of Internet messages.

Our children are the best of us; they are our miracles, our hope for the future, our victory dance over our enemies.  They are the biggest blessing from Heavens; their love, their innocence, their complete lack of guile, their unabashed enjoyment of simple stuff in life, their constant awe at the things that our jaded eyes just can't see anymore - all these and more make for the best balm for the troubled soul.  

And in return, we have to ensure that the world we would leave for them is at least as good (and hopefully better) than the one that we had inherited - and that means standing up to the real monsters.  It is that simple and that complex.

MORNING UPDATE, September 21, 2012

Good Morning, peeps! Happy Tuesday! Went to Manhattan Children's Museum yesterday - in my opinion, not worth the price, and what the hell with English and Spanish signs?!! But munchkins loved it and spent hours running around - so, I guess, it was good in the end. 

There are special nutrients that help you loose weight faster and reduce emotional eating - they are called stress reduction in general and reduction of male bs in particular. Carmel, IN, is the best place to live in US - I guess there is something to be said for the "Red States". NYC's Dakota is the most exclusive building in the city - heck, I passed it so many times and did not realize its significance! All it was to me was a cool looking building on the way to the Met - go figure. And a couple repeated their wedding 23 times in 15 different countries - talking of stimulating the economy!

MORNING UPDATE, January 7, 2013

Good Morning, peeps! Happy Monday! The weather is blah-y and rainy; this morning it was announced that the temperatures are approaching freezing - which put all the locals in distress, while yours truly just shrugged her shoulders. Harry Potter is beginning to work his magic on the youngsters here, and I have to tell it not only at night, but also in the morning.

 And now, for the important announcements: Bieber unveiled a new tat, but then visited a sick girl in the hospital - I guess it was a bit of a balancing act. Octomom is back on welfare - I am officially shocked. Thomas Gibson got arrested for DIU - did he mistake himself for an FBI agent or a lawyer? Another famous preggo - Kim Kardashian - "stepped out in style", or, rather, in the lack of style. Also, still wondering when will her boyfriend wake up to the fact that she is a white girl?! Unfortunately, no news on the most famous preggo - Duchess Kate; oh, well... And Matt Damon's new movie is "judged as too gay" - no biggie; he will not loose his adoring fans anyway. Phoenix, AZ, has the "hottest" housing market as of now; on the second place - Provo, UT; hum...interesting, that...And since when are social studies a more demanding major than business? I guess since the age of Hussein. 

Coffee this morning in the bigger mug.

MORNING UPDATE, January 17, 2013

Good Morning, peeps! Happy Thursday! The weather is beyond gorgeous, so we did a little hike and wildflower search today. Was also called "baby whisperer" and, once again, disqualified by Her Royal Highness - this time from the royal dressers, and without any excuses. 

GQ is drawing ire with their "hottest women" issue - but, as usual, not from the "family values" crowd; it looks like this particular publication printed something that sounds slightly non-PC - give me a break, people! They have that racist Obama-supporting jackass-ess Beyoncé on their cover; what else do you want?! J. Lo is worrying about her "younger beau" - genius, either he is into you or not! If you are worried and have questions - something is obviously "fishy" in the state of Denmark. GLAAD nominated Honey Boo Boo for something or other - where are the vermin from WBC when you need them? Amanda Bynes showed off new cheek piercing (which is currently trending at #5) - paging APA (mostly for her fans, but for her as well). Trending at #8: Kelly Ripa admitting to having Botox - please, tell me something that's not so gosh darn obvious! Sofia Vergara still did not set up her wedding date; there are no news on the Royal Baby, and Bieber is absent once again, darn it! 

Cappuccino in the paper cup with Belgian waffles and ice cream on the side!

MORNING UPDATE, January 18, 2013

Good Morning, peeps! Happy Friday! The weather continues to rock, so, another load of laundry :) Cute South-African neighbors are playing some kind of nice toons. For the past 20 hours can not locate half a bottle of canola oil - damn you, muggle-hating wizards! Speaking of which, completely missed Snape's b-day, which was on the 9th - but since I never really warmed up to him, the point is moot. 

Betty White is trending at #5 right now also due to her b-day: she is turning 91. In light of her advanced age, I guess I should forget about her support of Hussein; the guests at her Birthday bash include Clinton and Couric - double barf; but, heck, it's not my party. Parteigenosse Michelle is "debuting a dramatic new hairdo" - my only wish is that her and her hubby's next dramatic debut would be in court, being tried for felonious thefts and treason. Michael J. Fox does not approve of his son dating Taylor Swift - dude, take it easy! If your son decided to date a popular singer, she is the best on the scene right now. Ian Fleming supposedly modeled the Bond girl on his mistress - how original. According to some posh interior designer, a great kitchen needs 11 things - according to yours truly, a kitchen needs a bit of space, decent dishes, some food, and the absence of hungry men behaving like unreasonable children. And, finally, the great state of Texas is welcoming NYers and their guns - thanks, the great people of the Lone Star State!!! But we could not continue to surrender our positions to the haters of this country and their goons! 

Cappuccino made with love in the biggest mug! And a part of this report was typed with one hand, while the other was holding somebody very yummy.

MORNING UPDATE, January 20, 2013

Good Morning, peeps! Happy Sunday! Shavua Tov! Wishing everyone a fantastic week filled with great news for America and Israel! The weather is rocking once again, and the middle-Eastern bastard surrendered (at least for now). I am continuing to breath like a stalker. The oil was located!! The role of the wizard was played by my esteemed bil; the mystery of the disappearing kugel, on the other hand, is still not solved. Yours truly once again incurred the Royal wrath, and this time was evicted from the Royal Tucker-Inners; and, even though I was forgiven later, I was still not admitted to the Royal Bath. Also, according to FB, I am supposed to attend a parenting class today - for the reasons that somehow elude me. And today marks the first time in known history when I washed a tomato with soap. 

Handbags and wallets are the #1 counterfeit in America, and about 80% of it originates in China - damn you, fashion mags! "Obama's firearms ban ignites pro-gun rallies" - wow, no joke, Sherlock! There is also a list of careers for people bored with their current jobs - wow! There are actually people who are bored with their jobs, and not just grateful to have one? And where in the world is Bieber? What happened to Gaga - no wardrobe eruptions in a whole week! And how goes Kardashian pregnancy? Very slow news day! 

Cappuccino in a medium cup.

NUMBER 600

Wow, this is post number 600 to this blog - I feel sorta accomplished.  As it is customary by now, I am dedicating this entry to someone special.

That extra special person is my youngest niece - who was born almost three years ago!  (OK, I am a disorganized person with OCD - go figure).

She was born on a very interesting night: the night her hometown of Ramat Bet Shemesh got the first (but not the last) siren of the Operation Protective Edge - speaking of interesting times.  She is the second member of our family to be born in the Holy Land - and therefore would be called Sabra Two on these here pages (although initially, I dubbed her Raisinette).

She is the spitting image of the baby pictures of her mother - as well as mine (genetics is a funny field).  She has a mop of fluffy, curly hair, and she wears the elegant outfits inherited from her oldest sister with panache.  She communicates in the flawless mixture of English and Hebrew.  She knows what she wants, and she is fearless in trying to get it.

She grows far, far away from me, and I miss her every day.

OLDEST GIRL BY ANY OTHER NAME...

I spent most of the past summer in Israel.  And, since I periodically complain about the monotony and boredom that is my life, Fate decided to show me once again the meaning of that old Chinese proverb and thrust me in the middle of the "interesting time".  Allow me to elaborate.

You see, my arrival into the Holy Land coincided with the kidnapping of Eyal, Naftali, and Gilad (may The Heavenly Father avenge their blood), so I was in the think of it all - including the "conflict".  Let me tell you: it is one thing to know about the South of Israel being under constant rocket attacks - and quite another to actually feel a portion of it yourself; this was definitely a case of nothing beating personal experience.

But my short story is not about the war and the rocket fire; it is about my wonderful niece, Mini Beloved Sibling, who at that time was eight and a half.

As a mentioned many times before, she and her siblings are normal kids: which means they fight - a lot.  But when push comes to shove and something bad is threatening them, they come together - and MBS shows time and again that she is a worthy member of the club.  Three episodes from that summer stuck in my mind.

The first one happened one night when we decided to put them all to sleep in the mamad (the fortified room in the apartment that serves as a bomb shelter).  So, Curly had to share the bed with Fluffy (her younger sister).  Ordinarily, there would have been no end of complains: she is kicking me; I am uncomfortable; why do I have to share a bed with her; she is taking too much space; ect., etc., etc.  But that night our big girl came through - she just found a comfortable position and went to sleep without a peep.

The second one also happened at night - but at that time they were not sleeping in the mamad when the siren went off.  So, MBS jumped out of her mother's bed (where she was allowed to be to protect the peace, so to speak), and immediately went into action.   "Mommy, the Baby!" - she wanted to make sure that her newborn sister was safe.  Then she darted into her room and saw that her brother was peacefully sleeping on the top of the bank bed.  "SiM!  SiM is sleeping on top! We need to wake him!"  It took a little while for my sister to actually calm her down and send her to mamad with a promise that her brother would be taken care of - the same brother with whom she fights daily; scratch that - hourly!

And the third episode occurred when I took the Munchkins to the concert at the local equivalent of a community center. Here we were, enjoying a funny guy who could play music on practically anything - buckets, bottles, strings, bottle covers...and then the siren went off.  Curly jumped out of her chair, run to the front of the audience where her one year old sister was sitting on the floor, grabbed her, foisted her on her hip for a better grip, and then turned to me: "Papi, where do we run?!"

As I sit here typing this, I still get chocked up.  May the Heavenly Father guard you and your loving heart, our beautiful little girl!

NUMBER 500

OK, this is post number 500 on this blog - yay, me.  As it is my custom, I would like to dedicate this entry to something - or someone - special.  And this time I am dedicating it to Beloved Nephew.

He was a bit of a cranky baby, and, most memorably, hated riding in the car.  He developed an instant bond with his big sister - and his extra crib sheet was pink. His smile from the very beginning was full of mischief - and sweetness.

He loves to help with cooking, baking, and cleaning.  He loves cats and dogs.  He is a great younger brother - and a fantastic older one.  He loves all his sisters, takes care of them, babysits them, and makes sure that they get as many treats and presents as he does.  He admires the members of the IDF - and likes to dress like one on Purim.  He always makes sure to call his grandma, grandpa, and his cool aunt every Friday to wish them Shabat Shalom.

He is the best son, grandson, or nephew anyone can wish for.  He is a fantastic boy!  We love you, SiM!  May The Heavenly Father bless you, watch over you always, and help you grow into a fantastic man!

MORNING UPDATE - AUGUST 26

Good Morning, peeps! Happy Monday! The weather is not as gorgeous as it was yesterday, but still pretty nice. Poor Sniff was awaken around 5 am by Baby Bro's alarm clock, after which he was running around like crazy; later on he got into an obligatory scuffle with George, and is now resting on Baby Bro's rucksack. George was complaining around my bed the whole morning, finally ate what was served him, delivered a fresh injury to his cantankerous roommate, and is now peacefully snoozing on my bed.
Baby Bro was slightly concerned with my continuous cough, so he wanted to make sure I get extra Vitamin C - I love my siblings!
He also affixed a "love" stamp to his latest communication about jury duty - our family has a sense of humor, what can I tell.
Melissa's husband is French - he is also bold and ugly; another example of totally unsubstantiated rumors about French guys being the guys to die for.
Trending at # 1 is Lamar Odom - because he sort of went missing "Amid Claims of Drug Abuse"; I assume the story is still unfolding.
Guess who is trending at #2? Yep, his dear wife Khloe, of course - who "Slams Divorce Rumors". Good luck to both of you - and good luck to us getting away from your family dramas.
Trending at # 6 - MTV VMAs, what else?! All I can say is - after seeing a display of their outfits that they supposedly "rocked", freak show hardly covers it. Also don't hear anything from the official feminist camp - not a peep about over-sexualising women, or forcing them to demean themselves by appearing like sex workers, or their (supposed) talents being second as opposed to their bodies - nothing, zip, zilch, nada!
As a side note, this year's ceremony was held right here, in our dear borough of Brooklyn. Last night's news run "special reports" about it - the locals run the usual gamut of diametrically different reactions from "Brooklyn deserves to shine" to "there was no respect shown to locals, like we are second class citizens!". Surprisingly, the local muslim population was not interviewed - I guess they were too busy preparing to dance, once again, on the anniversary of 9/11.
"Why do the rich need so many bathrooms?" - seriously?! That's what concerns the public now?!
And, finally, "Russian Zoo Names Rare Albino Hedgehogs After Royal Baby" - why? Because all of the sudden they love Brits so much? Or because the baby is blond and hedgehogs are albinos?
Coffee this morning in my green Target mug.

MORNING UPDATE - APRIL 21

Good Morning, peeps! Happy Sunday! Weather is sunny, but cold - Sniff abandoned the cat house in order to warm up by the pipe in the bathroom. George still prefers my bed. Also, this morning Sniffles came to snuggle again and this time landed on my shoulder and my head and was breathing in my ear. Attention Brooklynites: today our dear borough is holding it's first ever hot sauce competition somewhere in Billy Burgh. "Radical Muslim cleric" (as if there is any other kind) from Australia who "inspired" the Boston marathon bomber hated Harry Potter - proof positive once again that if someone despises Harry, there is something seriously wrong with them. Trending at #6 right now: Eva Longoria's new show Ready for Love was "pulled" the by network - which is bad news indeed, as will leave her with more time to "advocate" for the "rights" of the illegal barbarian invaders. Trending at #9: Kim Kardashian admits that she is a hypocrite for having a baby out of wedlock even though she "judged" her sister Kourtney for doing exactly this - spare me the idiocy of your entire clan, the procreation of which is dangerous to the society at large - and I don't care if it's married of single. Trending at #3: Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez caught kissing in Norway, which prompted the speculation of their getting together again - awww, Jelena resurrected! Vanity Fair pronounced Kate to be the best-dressed pregnant lady - which, I guess, is relatively easy to achieve when you have a decent clothing budged, and don't have to cook, clean, schlepp to work at 7 am, or cater to a husband who wants his house clean and dinner on time no matter how you feel. Baby Bro recently showed a marked preference to the green Target mug, and when I asked him why he admitted that one of the reasons is the absence of painted "advertisements". My coffee this morning is in Disney Dalmatian Spots mug.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SISTER!

My dear sis!

Once again we are an ocean and half a continent apart on your birthday – and once again I am hoping against hope that this is the last time.

What can I say? I miss you! I miss the roommate who had a totally different thermostat than mine and whose OCD sharply clashed with mine. I miss the shopping guru who bought most of my clothes (the majority of which always turned out to be pink), and who made trips to department stores less of an ordeal. I miss my stylist, my make up artist, and my hairdresser. I miss my roaming companion who once insisted on hitting every single street fair for an entire summer just to get a specific silver ring for five bucks instead of six. I miss my OT who showed me all the useful stretches and hand exercises. I miss my coffee junkie buddy, a fellow Trekkie, and Harry Potter/Bridget Jones/Scarlet Pimpernel addict. I miss my dinners out companion who always complained about my very slow consumption and long stories. I miss my vacation friend who always walked in front of me with much bigger speed.

I miss my sister, my confidant, and my best friend!  I miss you tons, baby sis! Happy Birthday and many happy returns!   

Your loving older sister