Our grandson Joshua is a wonderfully healthy and energetic
ten year old boy. Give him a ball and he is happy. Unlike our granddaughters
(and their mothers before them), clothes do not interest him. During the summer
he is happy in a t-shirt and shorts with bare feet, only wearing a pair of Crocs
or sneakers when absolutely necessary. In the winter, his choice is knit pants
and a t-shirt, occasionally long sleeved but often short, even on the coldest
days. On Sabbath he would only grudgingly put a cotton knit shirt with a
collar. But now that he is ten years old, his parents felt it was time for him
to dress a bit more formally. They compromised on khaki slacks with a belt, a
long-sleeved oxford cloth button down shirt, and a comfortable pair of “casual”
shoes. The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, was his first outing in his new
clothing. At the risk of sounding like a grandmother, he is one terrific
looking young man! Not only did he look older, but his behavior was
somehow a bit more mature, and he spent more time sitting with us during the
meal than usual. He is handsome even in his camp clothes, but dressed up we
can only imagine all the girls who will be chasing after him in a few years!
When you put his looks together with his great sense of humor and fun-loving
spirit, he is a real catch.
This reminded me of an expression attributed to Mark Twain, “the clothes make the man.” In fact, the full version of what he wrote is
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”
Maybe this explains why we all like to have new clothes for the New Year. Putting on new clothes is an outward reminder of the inner process of sprucing up our acts that is the core of the “ten days of repentance” from Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur. What better excuse can there be for shopping?
We had a wonderful holiday. The first evening we all gathered at Dina’s house for a delicious meal. Barry and I hosted one daughter and her family for one lunch and the other and her family for the other. With the children growing and the new addition, our apartment is just not large enough for all of us to eat a large meal comfortably.
We headed back to New York early on Sunday because we had
tickets for another event in the series that included Stephen Colbert at the 92nd
Street Y: New York State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand with Gloria Steinem.
Whether or not you agree with Ms. Gillibrand’s views as a liberal Democrat, she
is quite an impressive person. She held a variety of different positions after graduating
from law school until she realized that her true passion was for public
service. Gloria Steinem is as sharp as ever at 80 years of age. It was while
looking up her age that we stumbled upon the fact that her husband had been
treated at MSKCC for what the paper called “brain lymphoma,” otherwise known as
primary central nervous system lymphoma, my diagnosis. It is a pretty good bet
that Lisa DeAngelis was his oncologist. He died at age 62 in a hospital in
California in early 2004.
To end on a happy note, the following was announced on
Saturday on Chelsea Clinton’s Twitter feed (not something I read regularly but found in my search this morning):
Marc and I are full of love, awe and
gratitude as we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Charlotte Clinton
Mezvinsky.
In my mind, being nominated for or even elected as President
of the United States does not trump this event for the new grandparents!
Have a great week.
Love,
Rebecca
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