He got it...but with a delay

Cousin Jimmy's gift
Several days after I mailed Cousin Jimmy his gift, I received a very polite phone call from him thanking me  for the birthday present. There was a certain lack of enthusiasm in his voice.

Sometimes, even when you make a gift thinking hard about who the recipient is, it just plain misses. As the maker of the gift you just have to accept that risk. It is disappointing, but you just have to live with it.

Last night, Cousin Jimmy called. He began the conversation by telling me that I was smart. Then he told me that he had puzzled out the Hebrew and realized that it was the piece of the morning service that had stuck with him the most, the part that had gioven him the most trouble to pronounce, the piece that was so identified with him that his rabbi's children call him "tamideihon  v'talmidei talmidehihon" The students and their students.

It took a little while, but now that Cousin Jimmy gets the joke, he really loves his gift.

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