I got a nightstand from buy nothing, borrowed a sander, bought some finishing wax. I can’t wait for my next project!

Today, my mother found my father’s remarks for his memorial service. The remarks he wrote on March 28, 1990. As you might know, he lived to be 90 years old and his funeral was on January 28, 2022. Talk about advanced planning.

We did not read his prepared words; we didn’t know they existed. But sharing them now.

You are probably wondering why I called you together today! (Pause for embarrassed silence.) But seriously folks, it is greatly appreciated that you took the time and trouble to attend this memorial.

So, what’s it all about? Am I, as my last thoughts, about to impart the secrets of a lifetime of happiness? Certainly not. Those of you with whom I was close know already and the others care not a whit. For those special few, is it not a good thing that a maverick shows up once in a while to rattle a few cages and start the juices flowing?

On a very personal note, I am awarding this special medal to my super exceptional wife for humor, achievement and extraordinary tolerance. As for my children and grandchildren, no medals are required. They already have a unique genetic and environmental insights.

All are invited to the Goldman’s apartment for wine, cheese, and goodies. Her’s to an exciting and challenging future.

To those of you who think my remarks are in poor taste… never mind, they are not for you.

Where should I go? Ideas welcome. I’ll add them here… within an hour of Howard County, MD…

note – these notes are cut and copied from Maryland SUP.

Beachwood Park 8320 Beachwood Park Road Pasadena, MD 21122       

One of the few Free spots near the Severna Park/Pasadena/GB/ Millersville. The place was just re-done and the walk down to the water is much easier now. Never an issue parking and you launch on a creek off the Magothy River. You can stay protected in the creeks or venture out to the open Magothy River. Good spot just be careful walking to the boat launch even with the new walkway it is still best to be cautious. 

Amos Garret Park (Free)- at the end of Amos Garrett Boulevard, Annapolis, MD and Spaview Ave.
Great spot that is protected-water on Spa Creek. Relatively low boat traffic near the launch site, but as you paddle out under the Eastport bridge boat traffic increases. The launch site is a little suspect as you have to be careful of rocks and small stakes sticking out of the water but otherwise it’s fine. Great spot for beginners or tourist looking to paddle downtown.

Jonas Green park (Free)- 1997 Baltimore Annapolis blvd, Annapolis, MD 21409
This is a great spot on the weekdays when the wind is down. Wide open on the Severn River, about a mile paddle to downtown “ego alley”, and close to the navy rock wall. Very pretty spot, but can get rough when the wind is kicking. Also on weekends it’s better to stay away as boat traffic can make this place seem like a washing machine pretty quickly. Beginners should avoid when it’s windy or on weekends.

Truxton Park($2 per person)- 251 Pump house road Annapolis, MD 21403
Right across the creek from Amos Garret Park and protected from the wind. Very launch friendly with a sand beach and pier. Short paddle to downtown and “ego alley”, boat traffic can be busy on weekends. Great spot for beginners or tourist looking to paddle downtown. Only downside is you have to pay an entrance fee.

Gunpowder Falls State Park/Hammerman area- 7400 graces quarters Rd. Chase, MD
There is a Fee to enter the day use park. Features SUP beach access, concessions, and a swimming beach. Little bit of a walk if you have a heavy board but otherwise great spot.

Daniels: Great place to kayak for families. Paddling up stream is not hard, then you float slowly back down. The place to launch off is only a couple steps down. The only problem is there are only a few parking spaces and if you park illegally you will get a ticket.

No one wants to be where we are now.

I am truly happy that my adult children are here with us because the thought of them isolated in far away cities in their apartments is just hard to imagine. But, I am not happy they have to deal with the reality of our present and not at all happy that any of us do. No. Nope. Not.

The one thing I do think will turn out to be a serious positive, though, is that we are so incredibly real right now. I am not the perfect mom. I am not a cheerleader 24/7. I am doing my best. I think my children will know me better after this is over. I hope I know them better, too.

I don’t usually fold under pressure. But today at the luncheon that my sister, aunt and I put together, I couldn’t find my speech and totally just winged it. It was meh. I found what I’d written after the party was over and the dishes were done and put away. Sharing it now. And also, it was a wonderful day. 

Hi everyone. Thanks for coming to celebrate my mom. She’s great, right? Yeah, we know she is.

The biggest problem we have is that Amy & I seem to want to talk to my mother at the same time. Half the time I call, Amy is on the other line. And the same happens to her. It’s like some sort of radar. But the reality is, we’re both grateful to have such a great relationship with her, and know she’s always there.

Always there, even when it’s not perfect for her. We know what that is now that we have adult children. LOL. (OMG did I say LOL in a luncheon speech?)

We just wanted to share a few things we learned from our mom – and things we think are worthy of celebration:

• Think about it from the other persons POV. Just consider it. Doesn’t need to be the answer, but contributes to your perception.
• Be kind. There are few reasons not to be. (But there are some,)
• Family is top priority. Nothing more to say on this.
• Volunteer. The world is bigger than us – we need to do our part.
• Be a great friend.
• Accessorize.

But seriously, we’re so glad you’re all here and know you all play such important parts in her life. And so thrilled to celebrate our mom and especially happy to surround her with her friends and family.

I can say that working with Phyllis and Amy to make this day happen was amazing. Selfishly, I admit that it was super fun to have conference calls and group texts and all the time with them – but mostly it was very clear we had one goal in mind. And I think we did it!

Mom, happy birthday. Thanks for everything always. I’m not going to list it all out because there’s not enough time in the world. We love you.

PS: Close ups of the centerpieces for those who asked!

PPS!! So many people asked for this recipe. Hot Italian Cheddar Dip from Cabot Creamery!

 

 

I’ve been a volunteer my whole life. An early memory – my mom was the chair of the June Jubilee when I was in first grade. I remember beaming with pride. The June Jubilee – the best part of the entire year, and my mom was in charge. I remember thinking to myself that day, with lemon & peppermint stick in hand, that I was going to volunteer to do something this big one day.

I volunteered with my mother from that point on, although until I got a little older, they were very small tasks. That’s okay. I’m patient. (Haha, I’m not patient really.) Once I was old enough, I became a candy striper at the local hospital. During college, I read to the blind. After college, I taught English to Vietnamese immigrants and then took on my favorite gig to date – reading the newspaper aloud over the airwaves for the blind. I loved it and went a couple nights a week.

I always did something, although it ebbed and flowed. Incidentally, I watched my mother work on boards, raise money for the comfort of cancer patients, and more.

When my children were young, I joined NCJW and got involved in my local section and quickly got a spot on the board. When our president became ill and unable to serve, I took on the role. It was hard work, but very rewarding. It was during this tenure that I realized I was in search of a volunteer opportunity that used my professional skills. So, when my family’s congregation, Temple Isaiah, asked me to work with a team and report to the Board of Trustees about a communication audit, I was in.

As often happens, audits lead to substantive work. I was honored to be asked to chair the Communications Committee and brought a great friend and respected colleague in to co-chair. He and I put together an extremely talented group to provide detailed recommendations for the congregation in terms of branding, communications methods, and more. Our team got a new website started, consistent email scheduling, collateral look and feel, and the list goes on. It was a year-long project and was fun and hard and good.

It’s very exciting that there is now a talented Communications Coordinator on staff who took the vision and implemented the website development from where we left off and is continuing the good work on all visual materials.

This congregation has been so important to my family. When we moved back east in 1999, when the boys were really small, we didn’t have a community. and Temple Isaiah welcomed us with open arms. Since then, we’ve made so many friends, all our sons have become a bar mitzvah, my husband is active in the Men’s Club, and I’m a member of Sisterhood.  

But I digress. Why is Temple Isaiah important to me?  It’s important because it has a great focus toward tikkun olam, meaning to repair the world. And, it serves the spiritual and practical needs of the community. Some incredible people –– seriously dedicated volunteers and volunteer leadership, passionate staff, and inspiring clergy — lead the charge and set a high bar for all of us.

I log my volunteer hours at Reward Volunteers and so do many of my fellow volunteers at Temple Isaiah. By doing so, we each have the chance to win prizes for ourselves and prizes and grants for Temple Isaiah. Additionally, staff can get reports for hours logged, so this can be beneficial to them as a volunteer management system. Win/win.  

I swim. And I used to color my hair. Turns out chlorine wreaks havoc on chemically treated hair. Who knew?

I let it grow out and as it turns out, I wasn’t as gray as I thought I’d be. But it does depend on the light. LOL. And, as I let the layers from the disappointing chopped haircuts grow out, my hair is definitely seeming more gray.

But still, it did not seem like a thing to me.

Until this weekend. A friend’s birthday celebration. Another guest tells me that (running her hand over her hair) she likes what I’ve done. And I (naturally) assume she means how smooth and soft my hair is. (Trust me, when you swim every day, this is a constant battle.)

But actually she meant that she was impressed (?) that I let my gray shine boldly. Now that I’m watching GoT, I feel like I’ve connected with the “truthful” statement that is also the “kiss of death” so…in relation to this topic, I do not know how to react.

Gray is staying for now. It’s true that I love being who I actually am and not spending time and money hiding it. I also have to say that I fully support everyone and anyone doing exactly what makes them feel good, too. We all get to decide for ourselves. What a concept.

So there it is.

PS that image is NOT me. It’s a stock photo.

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I really admire strong eyebrows.

Mine have never been all that full, but these days? They are spotty. The woman at the salon who waxed mine last time scolded me for over-plucking them. Well, I have made lots of mistakes in my life, but I did not over-pluck my eyebrows. The spottiness just happened.

Truth be told, I barely plucked them all these years. I kind of sucked at that. And so, I do not feel responsible for the sparseness. I’m annoyed about it, but I don’t feel responsible for it.

But the actual reason I am writing this today is that it seems singularly unfair that you can stunt the growth of your eyebrows by plucking too much and yet, plucking or waxing or what-the-heck ever does not seem to ever – and I mean ever – affect the growth of those pesky chin hairs or mustache hairs.

Am I right?