Thanks for your story Alan… And the opportunity to share… I had a friend who was dying of ALS… When there came a time when she couldn’t go out and enjoy the things that she liked to do… I asked her what would bring her joy… She had a 20-year-old son who is wheelchair bound… With cerebral palsy and a feeding tube… She said that what would bring her Joy was to give Noah a walk once a week… Because she couldn’t do it anymore… And she knew how he loved his walks… I agreed and started taking Noah for walks… I’ve come to enjoy my time with Noah… And hope to continue this practice, even though my friend has passed…
Julie, that's a beautiful, touching and meaningful story. All three people you mentioned benefited from the choice you made to ask her what would bring her joy, and then to follow through. I'm inspired!
I once worked as medical records secretary in the animal hospital of the Bronx Zoo. One day as I was packing up to leave the vets came running into my office shouting “pull the flamingo records; the flamingos are crashing!” Of course, I dropped everything and pulled all the flamingo records. This was the first clue in identifying West Nile Virus.
My grandmother used to quote the saying
For the want of a nail the shoe was lost
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost
For the want of a horse the rider was lost
For the want of a rider the battle was lost
For the want of a battle the war was lost
All for the want of a horseshoe nail
I was that horseshoe nail in the discovery of West Nile Virus. Every little piece is a vital part of the whole.
That's great, Debbie, both as an excellent illustration of the point I was making in your story of your role in the discovery of West Nile virus, and for the quote from your grandmother. I guess it could be updated: For want of a screw, the carburetor was lost. For want of a carburetor ...
In 1979, prior to the birth of my daughter, I was introduced to the folk custom of the Wimpel, practiced in German Jewish communities. When a child was born, then traditionally males, the swaddling cloth that held him at his Brit Milah, was taken, cleaned, cut and made into a strip of cloth on which the words that included his name, birthdate and the prayer, “may he go forward to study Torah marry under the Chuppah and do good. Amen Selah” followed.
I adapted the custom for my daughter to be ready one month after her birth for her naming in the synagogue. Following the event, I added the date and location of that simchah on her Wimpel. Over the years, the dates of her significant Jewish and personal events, and those of her brother which contained their B’Nai Mitzvot, weddings and birth of their children graced this now family Wimpel. On each occasion, our Wimpel bound one of the Shabbat services and was presented to the members. Others became interested in the practice, which encouraged me to make these personalized Torah binders for the use within their families to be shared with each significant personal or family event. Though this custom was not well-known, it has been central to my family life, and to those of which I had made the a contribution by creating a their Wimpel. Its significance in many of our lives has exponentially made a difference. Many of the mothers took the ink-designed fabric and embroidered them as they continued to add dates to their personalized prayer. I’m grateful that I learned about the custom.
This year I added my own update when I celebrated my 80th birthday as I took our family Wimpel to the Kotel in gratitude.
Thanks for your story Alan… And the opportunity to share… I had a friend who was dying of ALS… When there came a time when she couldn’t go out and enjoy the things that she liked to do… I asked her what would bring her joy… She had a 20-year-old son who is wheelchair bound… With cerebral palsy and a feeding tube… She said that what would bring her Joy was to give Noah a walk once a week… Because she couldn’t do it anymore… And she knew how he loved his walks… I agreed and started taking Noah for walks… I’ve come to enjoy my time with Noah… And hope to continue this practice, even though my friend has passed…
Julie, that's a beautiful, touching and meaningful story. All three people you mentioned benefited from the choice you made to ask her what would bring her joy, and then to follow through. I'm inspired!
I once worked as medical records secretary in the animal hospital of the Bronx Zoo. One day as I was packing up to leave the vets came running into my office shouting “pull the flamingo records; the flamingos are crashing!” Of course, I dropped everything and pulled all the flamingo records. This was the first clue in identifying West Nile Virus.
My grandmother used to quote the saying
For the want of a nail the shoe was lost
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost
For the want of a horse the rider was lost
For the want of a rider the battle was lost
For the want of a battle the war was lost
All for the want of a horseshoe nail
I was that horseshoe nail in the discovery of West Nile Virus. Every little piece is a vital part of the whole.
That's great, Debbie, both as an excellent illustration of the point I was making in your story of your role in the discovery of West Nile virus, and for the quote from your grandmother. I guess it could be updated: For want of a screw, the carburetor was lost. For want of a carburetor ...
In 1979, prior to the birth of my daughter, I was introduced to the folk custom of the Wimpel, practiced in German Jewish communities. When a child was born, then traditionally males, the swaddling cloth that held him at his Brit Milah, was taken, cleaned, cut and made into a strip of cloth on which the words that included his name, birthdate and the prayer, “may he go forward to study Torah marry under the Chuppah and do good. Amen Selah” followed.
I adapted the custom for my daughter to be ready one month after her birth for her naming in the synagogue. Following the event, I added the date and location of that simchah on her Wimpel. Over the years, the dates of her significant Jewish and personal events, and those of her brother which contained their B’Nai Mitzvot, weddings and birth of their children graced this now family Wimpel. On each occasion, our Wimpel bound one of the Shabbat services and was presented to the members. Others became interested in the practice, which encouraged me to make these personalized Torah binders for the use within their families to be shared with each significant personal or family event. Though this custom was not well-known, it has been central to my family life, and to those of which I had made the a contribution by creating a their Wimpel. Its significance in many of our lives has exponentially made a difference. Many of the mothers took the ink-designed fabric and embroidered them as they continued to add dates to their personalized prayer. I’m grateful that I learned about the custom.
This year I added my own update when I celebrated my 80th birthday as I took our family Wimpel to the Kotel in gratitude.
~ Bonnie Kaplan, Sacramento CA