Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Psalm 90:12



Another version that I found while cleaning up my office. I made a small card out of this one too. I will have cards and prints available next week in Rindge, NH at the Havurah Conference at Franklin Pierce University. Shuk is Wed., August 5th, 4-9 p.m. Joe will be there with his books for sale too.

Showy Penstemon Figwort



Just some pretty flowers from the Utah trip (Red Butte), beautiful botanical gardens. Not too sure about the name and spelling on the flowers.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

From Minsk to America, 1914

a horse-drawn sleigh ride, a train,
then a ship from Hamburg, Germany
brought my father to America
leaving pogroms and the old life behind
his father and older sister already here
he was only seven, traveling with his mother,
brothers and sisters

other passengers heaving
not him, cast iron stomach
the first time he had enough to eat
they gave him their food
too seasick for it

and then, a childhood in poverty
his sisters quit school, taking factory jobs
so the brothers could finish high school
my father sold popcorn on the boardwalk
took college classes at night
and made it to the middle class
helping others whenever he could

yet he had so much anger inside
drinking let the sarcasm out
"battle-axe" "jerk" "stupid"
a rejecting kind of love
how little I knew of his inner struggle
until I fought my own demons inside
now I follow him while breaking the cycle
using words that heal
instead of words that hurt


copyright 2002 Linda H. Feinberg

My father was born in Minsk 7/15/1906, part of a set of twins "David" and "Solomon". I have been thinking about him this week since it would have been his birthday. At this point in my life, I have been able to make some peace in my mind about my issues with him. I think he had a very hard life and while I don't agree that someone should drink to ease the emotional pains they had, I do at least understand it a bit. He had many good qualities, too, and I've tried to focus more on them and learn from them, rather than the negative ones that caused me so much emotional pain as a child.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Powwow






We have two grandchildren visiting us from Mojave, California. They have never been here before and are enjoying seeing all the green trees. We'll take them on a whale watch soon. Meanwhile, they enjoyed the Indian Powwow in Warner, NH this past weekend. We also toured the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum.

I loved this quote from the brochure (10th Annual Intertribal Powwow):

"Grandmothers are even more sacred because they carry the heart and soul of the people. Grandmothers carry the sacred spirit of the Mother Earth. Grandmothers give us gentleness and caring because they have also given us life. Our elders teach us who are ancestors were. Our elders are our connection to everything in our past. It is with their knowledge that we understand how we fit into the world." Rick Williams

Beautiful thoughts and very much in tune with what I learned about respect (derech eretz) for Jewish elders as a child. I feel very blessed that I have grandchildren, even though biologically they are not mine. The biology does not seem to matter to my heart.

The other really enjoyable part about being a grandmother (or any parent) is that you get to do all the kid things without anybody making fun of you! I love that too.


Wednesday, July 8, 2009

More hiking pictures

Dina took some wonderful pictures of our hikes together. I hope this link works here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=270814&id=691330617&l=f4f3fda9ef

Just finished a non-fiction book that some of my "senior" friends and family may be interested in, borrowed from the library: The Third Chapter, Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the 25 years after 50. By Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot. It was interesting to see how well I fit in with the people she wrote about. I started taking art classes about 10 years ago and I'm looking forward to retiring in three more years to I can do more with what I have learned. Joe started writing seriously in his 60's and now has his first novel out (with some very good reviews!).

While I certainly can't hike as well as I did 10 years ago, I am still appreciating what I can do and enjoying this stage of life.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Red Butte Gardens, Utah


IMG_8357
Originally uploaded by LHFeinberg
Beautiful botanical garden in Salt Lake City, Utah. More pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40061738@N02/

Had a great visit with Dina, will write more about the hiking another time.