May the work of our hands....

Forgive me. I haven't posted in a while.

I have been thinking a great deal about how holidays and rituals can often serve as a link between the past and the present. About how food can serve as a link between the living and those that are no longer living.

During my dear friend Shawna's Shiva just before Rosh HaShanah I suggested to her husband that perhaps he should think about our continuing to do Thanksgiving at his home just as we have for so many years. I knew that it was just too early to bring up the topic. I also thought about the little kid who piped up at the Shiva for a baby who was beloved in our community. This tiny child sat in the grieving mother's lap and said, " I think that you need to have another baby. Now!" The tiny child was actually right and said what no adult could think of saying out loud.

I told Shawna's husband that he shouldn't answer me yet but should let the thought percolate. a few weeks later he agreed. We created Thanksgiving dinner with the same cast of characters but of course missing the star of the show. Thanksgiving was such a beautiful tribute to our dear Shawna. Each person who cooked or baked did their best to add that bit of extra flavor or flare that Shawna added to any dish she ever made.

There were moments of real sadness but it was an afternoon of such tenderness. There are times you say things with words and there are other times when those things are better expressed with food or with other works of your hands. Thanksgiving we expressed so much with cooking and eating and just being together.

Yesterday my buddy Roberta and I passed this squirrel in Central Park when we were on our way to deliver this lap blanket to a friend.

Our friend has suffered a serious stroke that has left her greatly diminished. A group of us each contributed a bit of knitting or crochet and all of the bits were assembled into a small blanket that could be touched and looked at so our friend could remember that she is loved. We hope that the visual and tactile stimulation in this blanket can help rouse the parts of her brain that are now slumbering. It was gratifying to see our friend stroking the blanket.

It is a gloomy day out here in New York.