Gratefulness

I'm turning 40 next week. Lately I find myself saying things like, "That was 25 years ago!" And that makes me feel a bit old. Then I think of my grandmother who had 97 active years before leaving us two weeks ago, and thinking about having another 57 years ahead of me feels so much better than leaving 40 years behind. I've been reflecting recently about all that I've learned from my grandmother. There are the big life lessons such as the importance of taking care of yourself and of helping others; then there are the fun lessons like how to bake challah bread and play Rummy Q. But right now the lesson I appreciate the most is strength. She lived to 97, and lived well, after overcoming difficult obstacles. She was born with a hole in her heart, had to leave her family in Nazi Germany with only $2.50 in her pocket to start a new life in America, and then lost her family in the concentration camps. Yet she got through those hardships and still kept going every day, active to the end, always busy. She visited nursing homes for so many years that she was older than most of the people she was visiting. After surgery at 94 to fix a broken leg she not only survived but persevered to walk again and continued to live independently and actively. Her life inspires me to stay strong through life's changes and challenges.

My grandmother stayed physically strong by exercising. She liked to work out to a videotape called "Richard Simmons' Silver Foxes." I once asked her if exercising made her achy or tired, and she said that it actually had the opposite effect. Recently this inspired me to start a daily exercise routine, and I am grateful for how this is helping me cope with life stresses, including her death. No, I don't use her Richard Simmons' Silver Foxes VHS. I'm not a silver fox yet. Wii Fit is more my style, and the cats like to use it, too.

Now, onto the books. This is, after all, the Book Kitty Blog. The book kitties Skippyjon Jones and Bad Kitty are from two of my favorite picture books.  And speaking of exercise and picture books, I recommend The Gulps by Rosemary Wells if you want a book for kids about exercising and eating right.

After growing up hearing my grandmother's stories, I have been drawn to read literature about the holocaust.  The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen is one of the best. I read it with my 6th graders when we studied WWII.

My first principal, Don Streets, recommended excellent books including All But My Life. The author, holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann Klein, tells her incredible story and made me grateful for what I have in my life.

I am grateful for books that enrich my life; I am grateful that I had my grandmother in my life for 40 years; and I am grateful for the lessons that she taught me. And even though they can be naughty... I am grateful for the Book Kitties.

Skippyjon Jones and Bad Kitty

Plotting world domination while they nap