We are writing this as we sit in an Amtrak train to Montreal—it only takes 11 hours!!! We are looking at this as being an adventure—never done it before (and maybe never will again; we’ll let you know). We have always driven to our former home and have no problem with the drive; however, this time, we decided to do something different as our daughter Chavie will be in Montreal next week and we will drive back together with her.
As we look around at the people sitting in our car, we find it interesting to watch how different people react to what is going on. Many sleep, use their iPhones, iPads, iPods and everything else “i,” while others just seem to be in a daze. We, on the other hand, keep nudging each other constantly, overjoyed by the beauty we are passing—beautiful frozen floes of ice on the water, even dead tree branches—all a reminder from Hashem of his power. Mile after mile it is a perfect picture of nature as it should be, completely unadorned in its beauty.
When we think about time, we find it hard to imagine a time when we were not a part of each other’s lives. It was actually a very short period in the overall amount of years that we know each other. Yet, when we look back at our childhood years, Mordechai in Malden, MA, and Nina in Elmhurst, Flushing, and Jericho, L.I., they are just a dot in our minds. Yes, Nina remembers walking to piano lessons and Mordechai remembers going into his father’s butcher store, where he would get a slice of salami on his way to Hebrew School. But those memories blend into the next grouping of growing up and adolescent years, both of us, B”H, going to YU Torah Leadership Seminars where, in many ways, our lives changed and, of course, we met. How crazy that such a young couple with totally different backgrounds should be so determined to make their lives together.
Time moved on and we began our special years at YU. Our daughter, Malkie, became almost a mascot for all of the YU guys—everyone babysat for her and many spent Shabbat meals with us. Now, years later, when we meet the “guys,” these successful members of their communities still remember those days and ask how Malke Leah, who they still see as a toddler, is doing. It is hard for them to fathom that she is the grandmother of three!
Time continued on in Brantford, Ontario, Boston, and Montreal, and over the years we added four other children. Full circle, we made the decision to return to the good old USA. Yes, the days and years went by, but somehow we always took the time to notice the beautiful things around us—the goodness in people, the trees, the flowers, the rainstorms, many snowstorms, the beauty in each other’s depths, the birds flying in our backyard—we would stop and notice. Perhaps that is why it was a “natural” for us to make the decision to take the train. We have the opportunity to share together in this journey—as we have the journey of our life—one day at a time, the bumps and the beauty.
We wish everyone made it their business to stop and take the time to notice who is around them and what is around them. It makes life so much more meaningful. Everyone is so busy, yet if we stopped our busy-ness, even if it was only for 10 minutes and said hello to each other, we’d realize how lucky we are!
About the Glicks – Rabbi Mordechai Glick enjoyed a long career in the rabbinate and academia – serving as the rabbi of a number of shuls in the Montreal area and teaching psychology full-time at Champlain College. Nina Glick led Yachad in Montreal for over 10 years and was closely involved in the Special Needs Community. The Glicks have three children in the NYC area daughters and sons-in law living in the Teaneck, Bergenfield area together with nine grandchildren. They have participated frequently in the OU Marriage Retreat
By Rabbi Mordechai and Nina Glick
