Rachel's Legal Now

(credit to my wife Barbara for this blog idea. She has her own reminiscinces.) Our daughter, our little baby girl, turned 21 yesterday, It's so hard to believe. It just seems like yesterday, I was "catching" her in the birthing room at Washington Hospital Center.

In addition to being a gifted artist, Rachel always had a way with words even as a young child. Here are some of her more memorable quotes. (I think she takes after me a bit here as I too was "renowned" for some of my childhood bloopers):

These next few are all at age 5:

• "Plaeses leve the toth but give the cash"
  

• "He probably sexed in bed"
  

• Me: " Rachel, how can we get you to sleep in a bed again?" Rachel: "My trick is to bribe me with some gum."

• Barbara: "Schnizzy died". Rachel: "Now, can we get a cat?"

• "Let's get 2 dogs so they can lay babies together."

Here's one from around age 8 that she wrote to me. What you won't be able to see is the wonderful drawing that accompanied the explanation:

"HOW TO SHOOT BASKETS"

PLACE YOUR FEET PARELEL, THEN BEND YOUR ELBOWS, AND
IF YOU'RE RIGHT HANDED, MAKE IT SO YOUR RIGHT ARM IS
A COUPLE OF INCHES HIGHER THEN YOUR LEFT HAND, AND IF
YOU'RE LEFT HANDED DO JUST THE OPPIST. THEN BEND YOUR
KNEES, AND WITH WHAT EVER HAND YOU WRITE WITH,
PUSH UP WITH HAND, AND AT THE SAME TIME REALES THE
BALL AND JUMP!
AND TADAH YOU MADE A BASKET!
GOOD JOB! HOW DOES IT FEEL TO
HAVE MADE A
BASKET!

CONGRATULATIONS!

HARAY!

Old Friends

I got an email from an old friend and colleague today. That made me feel good. Why is it so nice to hear from a friend you haven't communicated with in a while? Perhaps, because life's relationships are almost all that matters in the end. And, so it's so nice to feel that one of those relationships is no longer dormant, but has come back to life.

What do you imagine you'll think about as your time on earth draws to an end? Not "Damn - I wish I had cleaned out my inbox" and not "Crap, I'm so sorry I never owned a BMW". Don't you think it will be things like "Are my children happy?", "I am so glad I could share my life with my family and friends", "I hope I was a good father"? I do. So, now at the start of the (secular) New Year, maybe it's time to reawaken lapsed relationships with old friends.

Why did I say "...relationships are almost all that matters in the end."? That's the subject for another blog on another day. Stay tuned.

Clueless at Christmas

This is a true story. Last week, I had a meeting at my synagogue, Temple Micah. A young, attractive, and perky office supply saleswoman came in and chatted with us about using her office supply services. After a few minutes, she turned to leave but not before exuberantly wishing us all a "Very Merry Christmas". We all rolled our eyes and sarcastically chuckled after she left. Let's hope sales is not her long term career.