HOME & FAMILY

It was early in the afternoon, on an early autumn day. The weather was chilly, with more than a hint of rain in the air. Inside the big kitchen in the home of R' Boruch Teomim Frankel, famous author of Boruch Taam and the Chief Rabbi of Leipnik, a town in Germany, the warmth from the cooking and baking made it warm and cozy.

The Candle that Winked
by M. Steinberg

This past Chanuka, I was privileged to witness my own personal miracle. I'm not exactly the type to have strange things happen to me and I'm surely not deserving of such Heavenly forces appearing in my behalf. I'm just an ordinary Jewish lady who tries her best to perform mitzvos. I have trouble concentrating when I daven and I need to work hard on not speaking or listening to loshon hora. In short, no one was more surprised than I to see such an unusual phenomenon. But it really did happen.

Ur'ei Betuv -- To See the Good
by S. W.

You know, these stories are such commonplace, everyday occurrences that we sometimes forget to take note and marvel. Especially so at the gemach.

LETTERS, EITZES, FEEDBACK

RE: THREE-PART SERIES ON CARING FOR ALZHEIMER PATIENTS AT HOME

Kol Hakavod to the valorous women who take care of their loved ones who suffer from A.D. As a sister of someone who has sadly been smitten by this, I am very aware of the situation. There were a few issues not mentioned in your articles, which I would like to raise.

On Maintenance
by Rosally Satlsman

We seem to be spending time just running in place to keep up the pace...

Attitude and gratitude

A Book, A Candle and A Shelf
by Yehudis Gershon

A whirring, whoooshing sound. Sudden darkness.

I find myself in a dark room, enveloped in blackness. Thoughts of final touches to add to my project dashed with the unexpected shutdown of the computer. Plans to switch the wet laundry to the dryer interrupted by the unanticipated blackout. Children's laughs and squeals, teen's telephone talk momentarily silenced.

Mothers-in-Law
by A. Ross, M.Ed.

"Take my mother-in-law, for instance... Yes! Take her! I don't want her!"

"But she's a charming woman. Let's swap."

Your Medical Questions Answered!
by Joseph B. Leibman, MD

There is so much to talk about in the heart, but we will confine ourselves to the rhythm. Rhythm is the electrical impulse that spreads through the heart and causes the contraction of the heart. The heart, as you know, has four chambers. The top two are the atria (one is called an atrium) and the two bottom ones are the ventricles and they are much bigger.

Did YOU know that ...
by Dr. Reuven Bruner,Ph.D.

. . . Sugar (sucrose) is a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in every fruit and vegetable. It is a major product of photosynthesis, the process by which plants transform the sun's energy into food. Sugar occurs in greatest quantities in sugar cane and sugar beets from which it is separated for commercial use.

POET'S CORNER

Who Are We?

by Avril Mealim

Am I `me' because of my face,
because of the type of clothes I wear?

To a blind man, these are nothing.
He cannot recognize me by my appearance.

My voice is of no consequence to the deaf.
I may speak kindly,
but he will not know that it is `me.'

If our looks and speech are not `us,'
then what is?
How will a deaf and blind man describe us?

He can sense our presence.
Maybe, he tunes into the energy we emit.
Knows who we really are
without all the external camouflages.

It's Raining!

Childhood Rhyme Revised

by Tzipora Zien

It's raining! It's pouring!
The deluge, ever roaring,
Strikes with lightning overhead
To answer our imploring!

It's raining! It's pouring!
The skyline's never boring!
Winds break off each branch that's dead
And birds on wing are soaring!

It's raining! It's pouring!
The thunder sounds like warring!
Wakes each child, and shakes each bed,
And rattles all the flooring!

It's raining! It's pouring!
The snails are out exploring!
Worms will burrow out of holes,
The garden's surface goring!

It's raining! It's pouring!
It's time to stop deploring!
For Heaven blesses everyone,
Both goods and green restoring!

Rain, rain, DON'T go away!
Come back each and every day!
Though we're soaked along the way,
That's a price we gladly pay!