We all have different ways of celebrating life and the great joy we are able to derive from it. For some a fulfilling life includes buying a small house that has been perfectly livable for those who lived in it for the past 30 years and tearing it down to upgrade all of the living quarters with the most modern features and amenities. For others it might mean having the ability to travel all over the world, visiting the Great Wall of China, hiking along the Machu Picchu falls in Peru, spending time attending an opera at La Scala or, for those so inclined, making Havdalah around the summer solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska, close to midnight. All of these ventures sound exciting for those who enjoy them and for those who can afford them.
Our joy in life can be considered to be much more simple. It is not just the fact that we are able to spend time with our grandchildren that gives us so much joy. It is the fact that they—I’m pretty sure about this—love to come and spend time with us of their own volition.
As our family has become more and more spread out geographically, the challenge of being together and seeing each other is much more acute.
Last week we had the pleasure and joy of having a visit from our grandson Shlomo Eisenberg, his wife, Liba, and their four children for two days. Shlomo and Liba live in Columbus, Ohio. Shlomo is the assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Jacob in Columbus and Liba is the upper school principal of the Columbus Hebrew Academy. They are the parents of four, the eldest being almost 7 and the youngest born almost two months ago. Definitely one could say that they have busy lives. Despite this, they both decided that they would make a detour between their visiting Rochester and Philadelphia (where Liba hails from) to visit with us.
Their visit cannot be compared with any wall or any falls. Three young children ran into our home and came directly into our arms. Hugs and kisses kept surrounding our bodies. Fortunately and b”H these children are all blessed with many Bubbies and Zaidies. I have earned the title of the “candy bubbie.” I try very hard to live up to my title, mailing packages during the year to make sure they are not deprived of anything sweet, and the pressure was on before their arrival to determine that if any special kind of “kiddie” treat was newly on the market we would have it on hand. Permit me to say that I remember their father, our Shlomo, enjoying the same treats when he was younger, and he was allowed to indulge a bit during this visit. I watched his children curled up on our bed watching a children’s program on TV the same way that their father and his siblings did, as our home allowed them this special luxury when they used to visit us.
As our life moves on and I have a chance to look around and see values being instilled in children that are so different from those we worked so hard to teach our own, I consider us to be world travelers living in the most luxurious home that we could ever choose with the finest china and most expensive bed linen, and I realize that all of these extra amenities are just what they are called—amenities. The real thing and the reason that we are richer than most is by the honor and devotion that is shown to us by our amazing children and grandchildren. I would not mind winning the lottery (if I would buy a ticket), but we both know that we have won the MEGA more than anyone else we know, with random numbers that turned out to be winners each time.
Nina Glick lives in Bergenfield with her husband, Rabbi Mordechai Glick, after many years of service to the Montreal Jewish community.
