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Moments of Peace

Sunday, 23 April 2017
Leslie
Jewish Luck Blog
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1 Comment
Moments of Peace

At this moment sitting at the Shabbat table alone, watching the sunset with dogs at my feet, I feel grateful. There is a feeling of my heart for my children now together in Australia and New Zealand for a few weeks, my always understanding husband, my amazing family, my longstanding friends, gratifying work, and adorable pets.

My father felt so fortunate in his life and had a knack for announcing his happiness. At the shiva following his brother's funeral, he turned to the back seat of the car and looked at all of us middle-aged kids and said, "Did everyone have a good time?" He had dementia then. We laughed at the irony, but actually he was right. We did have a very good time come to think of it as we always did at Levine family events. I remember great Aunt Ruth's 80th birthday party when Dad left saying, "If someone didn't have fun, it was their own fault." Family was joy to my father.

"The best part of every trip is coming home," Dad would intone as we drove up our driveway after every vacation. I still repeat it to myself and believe it. How brilliant of my Dad to teach us that home is the best and that being with family brings us joy. How lucky that it happened to be true and became our expectation. Dad fell in love with my mother over and over again. At the end he didn't know who she was, but he called her "my angel." Mom was unflagging in her love and loyalty for him.

I know that my Dad also dealt with tremendous hardships from birth owing to his partial deafness, and being told that he wasn't smart. I think of all I inherited from my father, and what I am most appreciative of is his optimism and ability to find wonder in the ordinary – the life that surrounds us every day.

Tags:
Personal fulfillment Dads Appreciation of the moment
June Author of the Month--Joseph Kanon
How Do We Record Memories

About the author

Leslie

Leslie

  http://morejewishluck.com
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Leslie Levine Adler, PhD visited Russia in the summer of 1976 as part of her undergraduate Russian Studies program. She returned in 1977 to pursue her friendships from the previous summer. After teaching ESL at university, she became a psychologist.

Author's recent posts
Sunday, 07 February 2021 American Kompromat
Sunday, 31 January 2021 Alexey Navalny: Intrepid SuperHero of Russia
Sunday, 28 June 2020 Earthquake
Sunday, 07 April 2019 Mirror, Mirror
Saturday, 26 May 2018 The Regina Monologue or Feh! on Calling Me A Black Widow
 

Comments 1

Guest - Kitty on Sunday, 23 April 2017 08:47
Beautiful

Beautiful, Leslie.

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Beautiful, Leslie.
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"Truly, you have written a story that makes accessible the reality of existence in Russia, through the eyes of individuals who lived through the various regimes and dictates.  It is fascinating and very well told.  As I read Vera and Alla's story, I learned more Russian history than I had known from a textbook.  That's a big deal, women!  You tell the tale with vivid detail and hook us on the two women and their stories, then weave in the history to illuminate their journeys. It is such a necessary book.  I am thrilled that the two of you collaborated, as I can see the uniqueness of your personalities come through in the stories, and that, too, makes the book a gem."
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