Round two of worries to contend with. Two residents at Mom’s care facility have been taken to hospital after contracting COVID-19; four staff members are in isolation. To isolate the residents from one another so as to prevent any further spreading of the virus, they are all being kept in their separate rooms for most of the day, though the staff does take them out on an individual basis for exercise. Presumably, the staff makes rounds as well on a scheduled basis. I just can

Here’s a new one. Mom absolutely refused to open her mouth when she brushed her teeth. She stood in the bathroom brushing the outside of her teeth, When my dad suggested she also brush the insides, she started screeching in very harsh tones, teeth clenched in the extreme. She was trying to say words, but they remained indiscernible growls. Daddy and I were both surprised. We shared a startled moment then the gears in my head started working out ways to calm her down. Daddy ba

When I was younger, I remember visiting a friend with a new baby. I must have obsessed about the baby crying, worrying and wondering and questioning how the friend could let her cry so. I don’t remember the sequence of events, but all of a sudden, the friend turned on me and, in an attempt to hurt me, told me I was just like my mother. Back then, without the experience of my own babies (who sometimes cried uncontrollably) or the closeness that grew between me and my mom (when

Those of us with relatively good health take feeling well for granted. When we get sick, no matter how minor the illness, all that changes. When we're sick, life becomes difficult. It's as if we enter a netherworld, a parallel reality, where even minor tasks become a challenge. Worst of all, we must rely on others to help us function. It takes a strong person to allow themselves to give up control of certain facets of their lives and accept assistance. Add to that the difficu

This entry is a departure from my usual subject. This was my second week of staying home. My head is still fuzzy, though I’m not sure if it’s from my cold or the news. The funeral yesterday of Gilad, Naftali and Eyal left me shattered, along with the rest of my nation. Today, everything I do is in the memory of these three young boys kidnapped and murdered by Palestinian terrorists. I made pizza with my precious son, Hillel. He is their age. He also attends a yeshiva high sch