Over the 38 years that I have been penning and publishing my weekly column, I have written a plethora of Mother’s Day messages.
Many centered on the travails of raising five feisty, highly energetic and divergent-thinking sons — who came up with more ways to hide beer in the back yard bushes than I would have ever thought possible.
Many columns centered on poking good-humored fun at my own mother. When my sister’s and my housekeeping standards didn’t measure up to hers, my mom would invariably comment: I don’t know how YOU PEOPLE live like this! (We managed.)
Or I’d glorify the feats of moms who were able to breastfeed, prepare healthy, delicious dinners and run multinational corporations all at the same time. (None of which I ever came close to achieving)
Mother’s Day 2024 has passed, but my more pensive mood lingers.
Maybe it’s got to do with the rampant antisemitism rearing its ugly head worldwide. Maybe it’s got to do with my binge watching into the wee hours of the night “We Were the Lucky Ones,” now streaming on Hulu — one Polish family’s story of separation and survival during the Holocaust.
And no maybes — FOR SURE — it’s got something to do with my leaving on my very first trip to Poland today — as you read this.
I didn’t spend much time figuring out which shoes would be most comfortable to pack or which novel I’d bring on board to read during the flight. I didn’t focus on learning more about Warsaw’s Galar Cruise on the Vistula and Krakow’s Wawel Castle. I obsessed more over Poland’s tragic history of annihilating our people — not its highlights, its beauty and its wonders.
Days before departing, I sat on my lovely second story, covered porch — being pleasantly cooled by my ceiling fan, sipping a freshly brewed hot cup of coffee while overlooking the lushness of my own back yard. I was feeling secure, safe and insulated from the ugliness of the chaotic world.
But am I secure, safe and insulated?
Are my children secure, safe and insulated?
Are my grandchildren secure, safe and insulated?
I think not.
What can we do about the chaos? The hate and bigotry?
The killing and the violence?
We start:
By treating those we employ and interact with in a kind and respectful manner
By listening and discoursing with an open mind in a dignified way
By staying informed and aware
By supporting individuals running for office who exemplify the ideals we hold close
By contributing our time and resources to causes which enhance our fellow human beings’ safety and security
By talking to our children and grandchildren about their ancestors’ challenges, triumphs, values and principles
By taking care of ourselves so that we can take care of others
By sticking close to our mission of NEVER AGAIN
By recognizing that G-d gave women the unique ability to create a life from a group of cells. Surely we can use our energies and our resources to ensure that we do all that we can to enhance and preserve both the lives we have created and all those peace seeking humans who inhabit this earth with us.
And we can celebrate the good times — I hope you all had a happy Mother’s Day.
