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Happy 70th, May 2010
Dear Mom,
Sitting down to write something on your 70th birthday while I am 45 begins to put things in perspective - lifetimes… Rummaging through the pictures and letters, a trait earned from you, biting into a chocolate chip cookie - remembrances and images pop up (Joyce fans will understand). I chose to write highlights and moments of your memories, picked up by me over the years:
Read slowly and think back -
Car trips to New York with Grandma Gertie and Aunt Mickey visiting Uncle Leo, Broadway shows - standing room only, working the switchboard at Thrift Drug, Camp Lynwood, Alderdice, meet Dad as a teenager, Hadassa meetings at home with Grandma, stories of Grandpa Phillip from Russia (when we were kids we thought he was from Russia and did not know about Lithuania), his journey to America, NY, crash of 29 when in California, pharmacy school, Thrift Drug, counting people on street corners before opening a new store. You attend U. of PGH Library School, summer in Spain, meet Dad again and travel with Ron and Rose in Europe. Big wedding in PGH, everyone looks dashing in the pictures. Philadelphia stories, you are not a great cook, Dad is not a great student, the fire with Sharon, Craig is born, Move back to PGH, I am born, stories when I was sick, Dr. Mermelstein, the Churchill house - my only visual memory of Grandpa Phillip is in that house, baby sitting for Steven, Bogey, one memory from the Whiteman house basement with the Rattners, from here my memories are clearer, old Thrift warehouse, new Thrift warehouse, Fox Chapel house, the farm, many days at the farm, the vegetable garden, Olivia, Wolf eats my ear, you hold me, Children’s Hospital, first trip to Disney Land, big Dinners at Grandma Gertie's, Stoufers, Chicken pot pie with margarine, first day at Shady Side, Neil Armstrong lands on the moon. First trip to Israel with Joseph, you and Dad tell us we are moving to Israel. QE2, snow in Europe in June, hotels in France smell funny and the pillows are hard, the Dan stinks, land-ho at Haifa, the Citroen with moving lights, Timmy and Eran meet us, up early at Kfar Rupin to pick olives, Anina's garden and Haim's puzzles - genuine intellectuals, Mevasseret, first Rosh Pinna house, Heckle and Jekyll arrive, one bedroom, small kitchen, nothing tastes right from Makolet, Grandma brings Skippy Peanut butter, candy, chocolate chip cookies (she called them toll house) bakes 20 cheese cakes, Yiddish with Avigdor's father, Seder at the Shindlers, met Amos (my future starts there), you buy him anatomy book, Yom Kippur War, all the men leave, blackouts, Dad comes home with blood on the car from the hospital, someone from Kfar Rupin calls to tell us Patza was killed, on the phone with PGH begging us to leave, we want to live in the Harchava, Dad buys the big old house, first day at Ayelet - not easy but bribed with a tape recorder, you drive me every morning on way to Tel Chai, hours in the isles of the library going through the English shelves, summer trips back to PGH - God Bless America! you get your MA, back surgery, Powhattan, staying at the Rattners - Aunt Mickey and Uncle Joe always made it feel like home, Craig's Bar Mitsvah, Rattners in Israel with Grandma, Hadassah windows, Uncle Leo leads the service, speaks Yiddish with the hardcore Rosh Pina clan, Blue team Norway trip, the best we had, Timmy and Cathy, Tivoli, "let's hope worse comes to worse," my Bar Mitsva at the wall and Rosh Pina, my long Jewish name, big cake and I have to wear a matching light blue sweater! Your first house and second house, new VW, trips to Haifa orthodontist, almost a real city, your back goes out for a long time, Seders in Zermatt, Jed and I get left at the station, Phd London, tiny apartment, Indian food in the hallway, shopping and theatre, a real city! Craig goes to the army, meet Zvika and move to Jerusalem, I go to the army, Nebi Mussa, drive me to Tekoa base at night, big breakfasts at Jerusalem house, Masa Kumta at Givat Hatachmoshet, chocolate ton cake - every week, Grandma is sick, many trips to PGH, she passes away, I move to NY, fast forward, Craig and Thistle get married, graduate PGH, move back to Israel, back to Tel Chai to run the library, Jeremy is born, bring Maya to Jerusalem, Friday night dinners at TA crazy house. Jed get's married, we get married, Mom joins Kogan familiy. New London Apartment. Amit is born, Rom is born - long night at Ichilov! Atlanta, Philly, Hod is born, Mom and Bini are with us, move to Palo Alto, Uncle Joe - a great friend - passes away, Hadar is born, back to Israel, retire from Tel Chai, camping trip Canada, Jed, Adi and the girls move to Miami, long trips to US to visit kids, missed in Israel, Shai Li is born and won’t let you go, Adam joins the family, Jeremy's Bar Mitsva, Rom's Bat Mitsva and here we are today!!! More words will just spoil the moments.
Looking forward to many more.
Love,
Michael
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