We spent yesterday morning at Gann Academy in Waltham,
Massachusetts, where the Maimonides Middle School Boys’ and Girls’ basketball
teams were playing a tournament involving the four Jewish schools in the Boston
area that have middle school basketball teams, namely, Maimonides, Rashi,
Schechter, and Jewish Community Day School (JCDS). We, of course, were there to
see our favorite Maimonides basketball player, #54, our grandson Joshua.
I have to admit our focus was on the boys; during the girls’
games we entertained Joshua’s little brother and sister outside of the gym. In
the first game, Maimonides beat JCDS 38 to 35, while Schechter won their game
against Rashi. Then came the final game, Maimonides versus Schechter. It was a
stiff competition, but in the final minutes Maimonides gained a point and Rashi
was unable to score again, leading to a final score of 31 to 30. The Maimonides
girls’ team won as well.
I really could never have imagined what a pure and total joy
it would be to see Joshua and his friends “high fiving” with huge smiles on
their faces. Their friendship and sportsmanship are truly inspiring. It is a
world I had never had a chance to view up close and personal, and I am filled
with abundant gratitude to have had the chance to do this yesterday.
(Joshua is the handsome boy in the red sneakers on the left)
After the game we headed over to Crescent Ridge Dairy for ice cream. Then Barry and I took Eliana and Maya for haircuts and a stop at Barnes and Noble for some books; I managed to take a very nice picture of Maya before my cell phone ran out of battery life. We had dinner with their family and headed back to New York this morning.
Our neighborhood is a bit of a mess, and we are fortunate that our house was unscathed. During the storm on Friday, a large tree came down on our street, leaving two cars more or less totally destroyed. One of our neighbors witnessed the incident: apparently another car was driving and missed being hit by a fraction of a second. There are still big branches in our driveway. All things considered, this could have been much worse.
My friend Joanne has brought to my attention an effort underway to support Landforce, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides on-the-job training for people living in poverty while simultaneously restoring the environment and providing a pathway to long-term careers. Landforce has just received a significant award from Google and has an opportunity to double the award. Just click on this link and then click “vote” at the bottom of the screen.
I hear they are using that “s” word again for this Wednesday. It is March now and I am more than ready to be done with winter! Stay safe and warm.
Love,
Rebecca
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