HOME & FAMILY

I glance at my watch for the last time. A quarter to seven. I neatly remove it and set it aside. I won't need it any more.

ASK THE SHADCHAN
Considering a Divorced Person or Widower
By Rebbetzin Nomi Travis

Part I

Question:

"Dear Shadchante,

I am a single girl who has been in shidduchim for more years than I want to mention. I've reached the point where I feel that I should consider previously married men, i.e. widowers and divorced men, but I do not know how to go about this research. By now, my family does not get so involved in my social life and I feel like I need tools for researching dates, for processing the dates and sorting out what I feel/think after a date...

TASTE OF YESTERYEAR
The Accident
by Yisca Shimony

Ima Shimony woke up very early. It was her habit to make the most use of the daylight, so early to bed and early to rise were integral parts of her days. Now, as she woke up, she breathed the fresh air and looked through the open window at the twirling fog that danced up in the air. She couldn't afford to linger long; much work awaited her. She rushed into the little kitchen to light the primus, a noisy kerosene burner, and boil up some water for a cup of Turkish ground coffee.

A Fair Share
by Bayla Gimmel

"The Ribbono Shel Olom has an unlimited amount of everything at his disposal, ready to dispense to us, His beloved people. There is no such thing as asking for more than your fair share."

We have presented this theme recently, but as we are being written for our individual future destinies, it is a good idea to internalize the message.

I'm Sorry
by S. Liecha

Much of the material in this short article is taken from various Shiurim given by Rabbi M. Miller in Gateshead Seminary.

The Court Case
by Ayalla Orlanchik

I stared at her. "Is it really you?" This apparition was but a shadow of my good friend Miri. What could have happened to her? A crash diet which had gone wrong? Some trouble in the family? Or maybe she had contracted some fateful disease? She looked as if she was going to fade away before my eyes.

Carpe Diem — or — `Chap' di Tog
by Drora Matlofsky

[A Jewish Alice in Wonderland? Or the `Whizzard' of Oz?

A flight of fluffly fancy . . . ]

In the Face of Hurt
by Risa Rotman

Rosh Chodesh Iyar

Gila Reuben sat on her kitchen stool, peeling vegetables for the daily soup, contemplating the recent big news. Rabbi Wasser, a former rebbe of her husband's, had asked Gila's husband to join the staff of his newly-formed seminary for high school girls.

Pathways to Forgiveness
By Rosally Saltsman

Resentment means letting someone live in my mind, rent- free.

KEEP SMILING
by Avrohom Tzvi Schwartz

Inspirational pieces by Avrohom Tzvi Schwartz (author of Handful of Light and other works)

66 Timesaving Tips for 5766
by Rosally Saltsman

[Ed.: You'll love these. They make so much sense. And you'll have a good laugh at No. 21! And you'll love No. 23, especially. (No peeking, you've got to read them in sequence!)]

Another year has come, and gone, so let's talk about time — that is saving it, so that next year we won't wonder where it all went. And with a bit extra, we can always find some worthwhile way to spend it.

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

I received a letter from a Bat Yam reader about the role of psychiatrists and psychologists. The writer feels we should be going to rabbonim instead. My comment is that if your rov is comfortable with this, that is fine. However, many rabbonim do realize when one has gone beyond counselling, and it is necessary to use medication.

POET'S CORNER

Some Mistakes I've Made
by Ruth Lewis

I thought I somehow had to get from Here
(that lowly place where I thought I was)
to There (that place of sheer, ideal perfection
where I thought I should be, longed to be)

But how?
I didn't know; I didn't have a clue.
Oh, maybe I made a try or two
To leap that gaping gap —
Giving it everything I've got, but not
Succeeding — or not a lot.

Then, exhausted, I would see I'd arrived Nowhere fast.
Or Three Steps Back,
Or Nowhere Much, if I compared it to
How far I'd yet to go.
I was still Here, not There -
I was still in that place that is
Nowhere.

(And still, I thought I had to Make Big Plans,
And still, I thought I had to Do Great Things.
I wasn't into thinking, being, small — Oh no, not me.
No, not at all.)

Nowadays, I try to do
Just what's in front of me. That's all.
One small
Step at a time to serve Him now.
He does the rest.
(I don't know how, or need to know.)
And thus it is, and He it is
Who brings me out From There
To Here.