I am still thankful and hopeful. But a theme for this last month was zerizut - understood by me as being assertive this month.
We celebrated Aunt Goldie's 100th birthday with about 150 family and friends, most of Debbie's cousins and their children, the Liverant family, and Aunt Goldie's friends. The party was on the Connecticut River at the Glastonbury Boathouse. Our children spent the weekend. I tried to get to talk with all of Debbie's family - her cousins who flew in from California and France and check in on the presences and futures. There were discussions on AI hurting creativity, on the terrible situations in the world, including the mideast, and on the wonderful growth of the next generations. There were a lot of children at the celebration. Aunt Goldie received ;proclamations from politicians and speeches from family and friends.
My zerizut was to satisfy Debbie's wishes to get an all-wheel vehicle to replace our 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan with just 4,534 miles, to get a way to create qualified charitable distributions for some of our required minimum distributions, to get fixed a leaky faucet, and to get used to my pacemaker.
I started taking morning walks alone, using the labrynth on the edge of campus - cutting branches to allow easy walking. Last Monday, we went to Farmington to be clearer to raise my left arm and return slowly to my exercise in the gym. Electrophysiologist Scott Harrison cleared me to return to my routines. Dr. Christopher Pickett cleared me to get some dental work. (I had been turned away from a teeth clearning because Windham Dental's Becky and Dr. Mazer wanted clearance after the pacemaker implanation - they had heard that it might be 6 months.) We went to snacks and dinner with Cliff and Denise at Max a Mia and Barnes and Noble. Cliff was busy with a real estate deal for a client.
We went back to Capitol Garage on Main Street to find a 2023 Subaru Outback with lots of safety technology. Jimmy from Turkey was our salesperson. The manager tried to overcharge for the car, but I found an ad on the web that they accepted. I still feel cheated but was sorry that I was assertive.
We asked our plumber to fix the leak in the bar sink near our table, where I wash my hands before ripping the chalah on Friday evenings. He brought a new faucet and wanted us to pay over $1,000 to get it fixed. I looked on the web for the faucet and found that it cost less than $170, meaning that labor would be over $800. I said that I won't pay that much to fix this leak and we lost a plumber, who I thought was friendly.
I got a Schwab account for the QCDs - transferring IRA funds from Equitable. It doesn't earn any interest but in the fall I will be spending down the $27K on non-profits and our synagogue dues and other funds.
We are beginning to have packing anxiety about our trip to see the solar eclipse on August 12 in Bilboa, Spain. I am beginning to prepare for the fall semester. No plans to retire, but will be doing 10 FLCs in the fall so that I might reduce the 13 FLCs in my overload bank.
We also moved from AT&T to Spectrum mobile, thinking that we would save some money bundling all of our technologies, with the promise that there is no international roaming fees. Fay was moved with us after we paid off our phones. There is a promise that we will get $1,500 in a MasterCard card in the mail.
Went to Dennis O's birthday/fundraiser potluck. Our local congressperson is worried about the Save America Act and what it might do to voting. I asked that we live in Connecticut - what might it do to us? Joe worried about what might do to the election officials. We still haven't received our refund from the IRS - the automated system has been indicating that they are still processing the paper forms I sent in in February. Perhaps next year I will find an online system to file.
Ira called after driving alone from western Pennsylvania to a hospital nearer his home, escaping from his wife's family. It was during a call with sister Rona. He complains about all of his ills, potential divorce, his stock markets. He limits his time talking with me and gives me medical advice. But at least he called.
Getting back to adjusting to getting older. We had some Sunday times with Mabel. Fay calls us when she drives to pick Mabel up in Storrs at BrightPath and sends photos and videos when she doesn't talk. Mabel likes to talk and clap her hands. It is a pleasure watching her grow.
Debbie is very happy with her garden and the house renovations. I need a new easy chair because I have worn out the ones I have been sitting in too long. I am thankful that I am alive, paying attention to any signs that there might be peace in the world, and hoping for the best for all.
A wet morning during a hot July 4th weekend. I am still very thankful, grateful, for life, for modern medicine, for Debbie. And I still have hope.
I have not been working on patience. During the past month, I had to insist on getting a pacemaker on my birthday on June 17. The medical bureaucracy wanted me to wait by not scheduling earlier dates. My last fainting, going up the rise by the university garage, was on Monday May 18 - the day of the celebration of my 30 years at Eastern. Since then, Debbie insisted that I stay in my chair for good reason. I had trouble walking up the hill at the end of our property.
Debbie contracted with her cousin Jason to landscape the property and get a new deck, developed by Jason's friend Jay. Jason and I had discussed this project when we first moved in. The cost of the project would have been 1/5 of my salary then, 20 years ago. It was about that now but we could afford it now. I still worry about the costs, trying to tell myself that the "fortune" is going to the merry widow and her children.
Shimi (Skyler, Debbie's nephew) and Mia, his also lone soldier wife from Ottawa, have moved to Pardes Hannah, an "hipster" Israeli community. Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy went to help them move in, mostly setting up IKEA furniture. They did go to a SuperSol for shopping. It was on the day of Debbie's day Yahrzeit. Using text messages, they shared the coincidence with their families. I wrote back that it must have been beshert. Text saw bedsheets instead. Perhaps this will be a family joke in the future.
But I do believe in beshert. Over the objections of Debbie and our queen Fay, was a princess who is now a queen to Princess Mabel, after a short service so that we could get to the Boom Box parade, I joined the Lions Club float and had a ride down Main Street. It was a very warm trip, high 80s, but there was a breeze as we moved. Then I walked back to Jillson Square to see the rest of the parade. My pacemaker is working. After the parade, I saw Shirley Ernst, a colleague who was on my hiring committee, and Bob, her husband, and we talked about the absence of Eastern in the parade. (Elsa Nunez had organized a boat float.) I praised our new president, Karim Ismaili, but was surprised that there was no Eastern presence in the parade. As I was walking to Jillson Square for the America 250 celebration, which had been organized by Willimantic Renaissance, President Ismaili tapped me on the shoulder. We walked over to the Shaboo Stage and got to talk about his moving into the house on High Street and my pacemaker. He told me that my retirement schedule depends on me; he hadn't heard that I fainted 3 times on campus. Meeting Karim was bedsheets - beshert.
Our neighbors have their New Hampshire friends visiting. The guys like to shoot fireworks, which are not allowed in New Hampshire. Surprisingly, we watched the fireworks under an umbrella and a tree. The cold front had arrived in time to put out any fires from fireworks. Also bedsheets?
During the month, Mabel and I have become better friends. Mabel is willing to sit on my lap without squirming. Mabel will be nine months on Tuesday. She has come over more often so that the neighbors might prepare for visitors in the coming weeks. We will be celebrating Aunt Goldie's 100th birthday next Saturday evening in Glastonbury.
I had to stay over in UCONN Hospital in Farmington because the pacemaker implantations was delayed. Debbie rushed back, we packed, and drove to White Plains Sonestra to get the shuttle to the wedding. We also went to the wedding of Daniel Harrison Nechamkin and Eliza Isabel Rader in Purchase, New York, at a golf club established by wealthy Jews from New York City in the 1890s. The gathering faced the setting sun. I had to get up and move to the shade to see the wedding. The wedding festivities were in a tent, catered by an army of servers. The music was too loud so we had to move away from the tent to talk. The following morning, there was a brunch and we got to talk to a bunch of Debbie's cousins and siblings.
I am still grateful and hopeful, although I have been mostly sitting in my chair during the month, with visits to doctors at UCONN Storrs.
I fell in the gym on April 17 while getting up from the rowing machine and hit my head. I had fainted. I was taken to the emergency room at Windham Hospital and after 5 hours was released. My blood tests and scanning looked good to the cardiologist and nurse practitioners and I was anxious not to stay in the hospital overnight. The trip cost me $250, not covered by insurance.
On the last day of classes, on Wednesday, May 6, I fainted again while walking up the steps at the student center. I had to write an accident report for personnel, which was filed by the state. I claimed that I tripped, but it was really just fainting again after walking up a hill.
On the first day of summer, Monday, May 18, I fainted again while walking up the hill by the parking garage and campus road. Campus police saw me fall and took me to my office in Webb. Debbie picked me up. Later we went to the celebration of milestones and I was gifted a plaque recognizing my 30 years at Eastern and an Eastern tote bag. We enjoyed lunch but I had trouble not fainting.
Since then, we are trying to find out why I am fainting. My night nurse is limiting what I do. We have climbed the synagogue steps and ramp sometimes, gone to see my primary physican, Dr. Moore, 3 times, seen my cardiologist, Dr. Kim, and my vascular surgeon and lab tech, Dr. Amankwah and Heiden. My TAVAR is not leaking, my heart seems to be dehydrated and perhaps I am anemic, according to Dr. Kim. I called my brother, Ira, and cousins Kenn and Rena to find out if they are diabetic. Ira is, Kenn was, Rena is pre-diabetic. I stopped taking Brilanta, based on the recommendation of Dr. Kim and Dr. Amankwah, which may cause syncope, fainting. I have been wearing a heart monitor this week and have been using the stationary bike for some exercise.
This next week will be testing. This morning, we are going to Norwich for a Hadassah lunch. I will have a stress test on Tuesday, go to my dentist on Thursday, and a new endorcrinologist on Friday. Sitting in my chair, I feel well, but I have had indigestion feeling after eating.
After all of these recordings of this journey, I am still grateful and hopeful. I have tried to practice patience, but I have been insistent about getting care to resolve my challenges. In the meantime, I am teaching 3 online courses this month - from June 1 - July 7 - and trying to get started an intercultural connections among universities (ICU) with a Peace Corps volunteer in Mexico - a film festival with cellphone videos.
Other concerns this month - Mabel seems to be anxious when she is alone with me, prefering her queen (mother) and the queen mother (Debbie). Debbie, by commissioning Jason and Jared, her cousins, to remove shrubbery and create a deck and Jay, their friend, to build a deck. We are also concerned about the cost of our communication. We got new cellphones, I call know tools, in April from AT&T online, iPhone 17 Pro's. We looked at alternatives to our cable system - going to online TV, but didn't like it. We are spending $300+ a month on our internet, "land line", and the cable package we have. I have also been interested in selling or trading in our van, which we have had for 5 years and only has 4,300 miles and costs us $1,000+ to insure each year.
I am grateful to have such a fine night nurse in Debbie and hopeful that I will have more years with her and with Mabel, enough to get her not anxious about me. We are still eating cheese cake from Shavuot at the synagogue. The summer has been changeable - some days warm, some days cold. I wish I was not limited in what I might do. Growing old is not easy, but it is better than the alternative.
Thankfulness, Hope, and the Search for Peace remain the themes of the last month.
I have had two fainting experiences. One when I got off the rowing machine and fell over to bang my head and elbows. I was taken to the emergency room and released after 5 hours. I missed a faculty showcase of our teaching and research and the lavender graduation. Then I "tripped" while climbing the stairs in the student center. I talked with Dr. Moore and then with Dr. Agnes Kim, my cardiologist, with Debbie. Dr. Kim stopped one of my lowing blood pressure pills - hydrochloroazide. I did some walking on Shabbat - the downtown country fair - and didn't feel faint. Perhaps I have been under hydrated, perhaps I haven't slept well, perhaps I am just getting old.
I am still planning for the future. Perhaps a trip to San Diego next January and a road tour of California. Still planning to see the solar eclipse on the Disney cruise on August 12. Two summer courses in June and an independent study for the few remaining MS in Ed Tech program.
We discussed the sacred and the profane at synagogue yesterday. Amir and Noa came - Israelis who are attached to UCONN computer science and the Hebrew Academy of New England - to the bagel and bible session on the notion of perfection in the priestly rituals. I pointed out that beauty was subjective and might be influenced by media. Amir commented that the world is being controlled by a bad television producer these days.
In search for peace, for completion, for wholeness/holiness, we were fortunate to have Dr. Alan Morinis speak with us last Sunday on his latest book, The Shabbat Effect. I enjoy the completion of another spring semester and the anticipation for the summer. I will be celebrated with others at a Milestone event for my 30 years of service. I wrote my own memorial, emphasizing family as my major achievement. I am not ready to complete my service in this community. We watched Mabel and Bonny last evening. Mabel and my relationship has not developed. Mabel prefers to be with Debbie and cries when I hold her. Bonny was very excited when Fay came to home from the wedding. They had gone to a wedding in Foxborough, MA. Our relationship are growing and changing - not yet complete. I am not ready to be completed yet either.
What is the middah for peace? Humility - knowing that there are some forces that the individual can not control, being resigned to fate? Trust - that in the end, equilibrium will be restored, that from the destruction will grow new life that will not remember what happened. Striving to remedy one's mistakes or forget them, put them aside. Have patience - this too shall pass. Maybe in the end, there remains thankfulness for these moments and memories and hope that a better world might come.
Augmented Imagination tells me -
"Key Aspects of the Middah for Peace:
Rodef Shalom (Pursuing Peace): This is proactive action—working actively to resolve conflicts, not just waiting for them to resolve.
Ohev Shalom (Loving Peace): Cultivating a genuine desire for harmony, as outlined in this Sefaria sheet.
Humility as a Root: True peace stems from humility, which enables compromise (pashara) and allows space for others' opinions, say this YouTube video and this Sefaria sheet.
Shalom Bayit (Domestic Peace): Focuses on creating peace in one's own home, considered as vital as making peace in all of Israel.
Actionable Steps: Examples from this Reform Judaism article include being flexible, mediating disputes, and bringing people together. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Related traits include Anavah (humility) to facilitate compromise, and Menuchat Hanefesh (calmness of soul/equanimity) to maintain inner balance during conflict, as explained in this Sefaria sheet. [1, 2, 3]"
Michaels Hit Music (Jul 7, 2022). Blood, Sweat & Tears - And When I Die (HD/Lyrics). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLXA7s55dl4&list=RDiLXA7s55dl4&start_radio=1
AI says
"Laura Nyro was Jewish. Born Laura Nigro in the Bronx, she was of Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent on her mother’s side, with Italian-American ancestry from her father, a jazz trumpeter. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Details About Her Background:
Cultural Roots: She was described as a Jewish girl from the Bronx with a cantor uncle.
Upbringing: She was born to a Jewish mother and an Italian father.
Identity: She was often referred to as a "Jewish soul sister" and a "tortured Jewish gal from The Bronx".
Influences: Her work was influenced by a blend of her Jewish-Italian heritage and the cultural atmosphere of 1950s/60s New York. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]"
Beth Crosa (Oct 3, 2009). And When I Die by Laura Nyro. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-5sDlveXs8&list=RDQ-5sDlveXs8&start_radio=1
I remain thankful and hopeful that a new world is coming, a world of peace, health, and plenty for all.
We had a safe and joyful spring break in Pennsylvania after a short visit to Savannah, GA for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning conference. I attended virtually a CIES conference in San Francisco - presenting on Augmented Imagination and Contemplative Learning with a researcher at Washington University in St. Louis on a Saturday late night session with mostly graduate students. While in Savannah, we took a trolley city tour and didn't get to visit the third oldest congregation in the USA, because they were having a children's service before Purim.
Besides thankfulness and hope, I have been working on patience. We are working out our relationship with our neighbors. They are beginning to involve us more in seeing Mabel after a difficult time in the winter with colds and rashes from the soap we use. We are scheduled to host Mabel in our home while her parents are going to a wedding in May. We did get to see them for the 2 sederim, which were supported with the help of Charlie and Nate who can down for the holidays. Matthew continues to tap the trees and spent time on Saturday afternoon clearing brush in our garden. They are both back to work and Mabel goes to work at a childcare in Storrs Center - BrightPath.
During our travels in Pennsylvania, we went to Philadelphia for the B'yachad conference organized by Reconstructing Judaism, after driving down on Thursday, 3/12 for the weekend. Lots of music, song, and study. Our group wore Temple Bnai Israel wool caps that Sandye Simon made for us. I asked her to make 8 for us - our group of new members Mia and Alex, Rav Jeremy and Merle, Judy and her grandson Henri, and Debbie and me. Sandye made 16. We gave away three to Rabbi Deborah Waxman and two others from Newton and Atlantic City. Judy got one for Ken who had provided succanator t-shirts for years. Memorable dinner with a beet as the main course for the vegetarians; all the rest with fish. (I had lost my original TBI cap in Savannah when it slipped from my pocket near the City Market when I forgot that it might be in the 60s.)
We went to The Barnes Foundation Museum via Philadelphia's St. Pat's Day parade on Sunday. And then we took a Uber to visit with Andy, Nicole, and Margaret (Maggie) on Federal Way in south Philadelphia near the river. Andy works for Campbell and is an inventive cook. Maggie will be a good younger cousin for Mabel. Nicole is a music teacher enjoying the time with Maggie. We walked back to the hotel and saw the LOVE statue near city hall.
During our travels in Pennsylvania, we went to Princeton, NJ for dinner at Agricola with Allison, Mike, Aria, and Zach, got new sneakers for me at a Target, visited with Leslie and Bernice, Jessica, Hartley, and Molly in Allentown, went to Longwood Gardens, stayed in the Mendenhall Inn, drove to Gettysburg on rural roads that were rather bumpy, had lunch and souvenir shopping at Shady Maple near Lancaster, walked the Gettysburg ridge to the Pennsylvania monument bemoaning the 50,000 men that were killed in two days there, and saw the introductory film and cyclorama on the battle and the museum in the visitor's center.
We arrived on Friday evening at Dan and Katie's and the 3 cats in time for a fish fry dinner take-out. On Saturday, we went to Pamela's for pancakes and eggs near UPitt where we were joined by Benjy, Ally, Amelia, and Rosalie. Then to the Andy Warhol museum, soup dumpling at Xian Nan, the incline, a bar for a rest stop and more beers, and Vinnie's Pizza. On Sunday morning we planned our trip to London, the Disney cruise, seeing the solar eclipse near Bilboa, Spain, and our return - all lead by Katie's travel skills. We celebrated our travel plans in an English pub for lunch. On the way home, we stayed at an empty Penn Stater Hotel on a rainy evening. We returned home in time for the UCONN Women's basketball game on Monday evening after a 11-day road trip.
Although I would like to practice patience, I tend to be Zerizut - a bit impatient and doing things with too much enthusiasm. I have been bothering people about getting a new phone because my "Know Tool" is running out of space. I had an argument with a guest that President Ismaili invited to teach us about the liberal arts - particularly that one of the foci would be a nonvocational orientation. I want to see Mabel more although she doesn't spend a lot of time with us before she wants her Momma.
I was looking for a way to count the Omer and I learned about poems for each day at
49 Aspects of Human Emotion A poem for every day of the Omer - By Alan Toltzis
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4244977/jewish/49-Aspects-of-Human-Emotion.htm
I will give it a try. Too personal and doesn't refer to the Kabalistic attributes for the day.
There is Counting the Omer (Taylor’s Version) 5784 - by LilyFish Gomberg - based on Taylor Swift's songs - https://ritualwell.org/ritual/counting-the-omer-taylors-version-5784/
Chabad - spiritual journey - https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/277116/jewish/Introduction.htm
Courtesy of MeaningfulLife.com
UP FOR THE COUNT poems for the counting of the omer by Esther Cameron - https://www.pointandcircumference.com/upforthecount.htm
I realized that I have been struggling with the ethics of lovingkindness. How does one have group rules when people are individuals? I struggled with causing a student to run away in tears when I told her I would like her to complete her projects, even though her grandmother had died. She stopped coming to class. We had a chance to talk again after midterm to talk about the possibility for passing the course. I explained that if she came to class from now on and did all of the projects she might get a B in the class. She told me that it was the anniversary of her father's death.
Back from a trip to Savannah.
Since the end of Shovavim, I have continued to work on gratitude to Debbie. I always need to work more on learning from other people, sensing their needs. I also continue to work on hope, even though the stories are becoming more inhuman.
I am interesting in finding more ways to get students engage in their learning and living. I found that around 50% of the students are just passengers or achievers - more interested in the prizes than in the process, journey.
We have had snow challenges. Our AM flight to Savannah was cancelled and pushed us to stay over night in DCA Reagan. More gratitude to Debbie. We got to the Hyatt Regency in time for the opening dinner at Churchill's across the street in a room that allowed for shouting discussions.
I had a poster up by 7:45 am for the two hour poster session. I sat by the poster, plugged in doing "grading" and talking with people who came by to have breakfast. I didn't find much interest in my poster, but did learn about the politics of higher education in Southeast USA. The system will be a-changin'. I told a leader from the US Air Force that SoTL should be Scholarship for Learning and Teaching. I had changed our graduate course name from Teaching and Learning 25 years ago. She said (perhaps sarcastically) that I was ahead of out time.
On Thursday, we went for a walk to the Trolley Stop and got on one of the last tours of the city. We stopped to learn about how expensive sweet grass weaving in at City Market.
The conference featured for me two Breakfasts with grits and two Luncheons with chicken and salmon. It was in a conference room with the river view. I tried to visit each poster. The sessions were a challenge because I was worried by the charge in my know tool. Mostly faculty who wanted to justify the learning process by using complex research processes. I asked why have this organization when most of the learning-teaching research is considered in other organizations. For me, it was a way to get away and to use resources that were available to me.
Along the way, I lost my TBI wool cap, were mislaid about the 6 am service at Cong. Mikveh Israel, and took a flight with Breeze. More time walking across streets holding Debbie's hand. Our neighbors told Debbie that I gave them a cold. I will visit less and let Mabel Fiona find me.
Planning for the future, we need to make our plans to perhaps see the eclipse over the Atlantic in August. I also am thinking of purposing a trip to the Bay Area for next spring break 2027.
We watched hundreds of crow nesting in the trees surrounded our house last evening at dusk. It was a traditional day for me. I listened to the Super Bowl, ate leftovers from Willibrew, and did our taxes. I had had little sleep the night before, worrying about how one reports Qualified Charitable Distibutions on the 1040SR form.
It has been a cold, snowy winter. I used Debbie's snow shoes to build a path to our neighbors. We spent some time with Mabel last week. She is beginning to try out sounds and touch faces. She was 4 months old on 2/7.
This morning is the Monday of Parashat Mishpatim. Rav Jeremy celebrates A.D. Gordon in his liturgy. Because it snowed on Saturday morning, we had services on ZOOM rather than the Bagels and Bible discussion of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's Shabbat.
I opened a new webpage for these reflections, for 2026. Every day starts a new year.
On snow in Rabbi Laitman's Zohar -
On a day of snow, on the day misfortunes descend from the Supernal Court Above, it is written, “Her household shall not fear snow,” that is, the Supernal Court, called “snow.” For her household is clothed twofold, and can thereby endure a strong fire. So the book says.
After Malchut acquires these two fires, she weakens the strictness of the cold snow with her fire.
I live with a woman of valor who keeps us warm.
I am working on WHY? this morning, the unexamined life. I asked the people in my learning communities to think about what sort of learners they are. One joker in each of the undergraduate courses identified as Resistors. There were a mix of Passengers and Achievers. Approaching half were Explorers. Do college students often have a chance to explore ideas to form their own paths? I am fortunate and happy to think of exploring since I am nearing the end of my paths.
While look for references on children in the Zohar, I was introduced to the legends of Naamah and the two angels/demons rules of the early earth -
And these two Creator-appointed rulers swim in the Great Sea, fly up from there, and at night go to Naamah, the mother of witches, for whom the first people fell.
Shovavim, for some, is about resisting the alluring nature of women and sex. I am influenced by Riane Eisler's The Chalice and the Blade, about the struggle between the female and male spirits in the world. One who loves peace, no fighting or shouting, clings to the female essence of the world. The story these days is that we live under a male ruler who is of questioned sanity, much as we did 250 years ago in this "new world". Destruction is a symbol for male power and a simple way of avoiding the reality of the brief time we have on this planet. In place of living to make stories and share ideas and to keep each other warm during these days with slowly increasing light.
Thursday, 25 Shevat 5786 - 12 February 2026
This is the Thursday of Parashat Mishpatim, last morning of Shovavim. Rav Jeremy celebrates the lives of Clara Lemlich and Rose Schneiderman.
The crows are calling in the trees above our homes. I presented on the learner modes of my students and then, in a lunch in Hurley about The Opposite of Cheating, told the group that I called AI - Augmented Imagination - and my slogan - Sage on Stage, Guide on Side, Elder as Melder. I am showing Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Half-Time Show in my classes, so that the students might be my consultants and tell me more about the video.
Our neighbors believe that we are causing their rashes, that they are allergic to Debbie and me. I will share the ingredient list of our laundry soap, soap we have been using for awhile - Berkeley Jensen Ultra Laundry soap. And the other soaps and hand creams we have been using.
I forgot that one of my students' grandmother died. She got upset when I told her to turn in the work she missed, saying one point deducted for every day late. I had to find the email that she had sent me via Eastern email, instead of in the course. I am sorry. She left upset and when I found the email, I wrote her and asked her to catch up by next Monday evening. I am sorry that I was thoughtless on this matter. During the moment, while looking for the email, one of the students told me that he would have to go out and breakfast during Ramadan, which starts next Wednesday. It will be the new moon, so it will also be Chinese new year. I wonder if Shovavim ends before the new moon most months.
This Shovavim was eventful. I sometimes had eating events so I didn't always fast. I also have been drinking teas and juice. I have been trying to learn to be more patient, to wait to speak, and to be engaged in events on campus, at synagogue, and in the community. I have been learning every day. Also been going to the student center gym on most weekdays. During Shovavim, I went to my urologist, eye doctor, and will be going to my oncologist -my PSA came back at 0.04. I seem well. I have also been wearing my message t-shirt over my button down shirt like a vest and my Temple Bnai Israel wool cap as a kipa. I try to not worry too much, but the world seems to pose large problems and dangers every day.