It’s a busy season of life now and I haven’t done a personal update for a while so here goes!
Dd20 moved back home several weeks after we moved to RBS while she continues to work in Jerusalem. Dd18 graduated seminary last week (I’m not supposed to embarrass her and say how she was honored so I won’t) and moved back home this week. She’s finishing her second year of industrial design and has one year remaining of her college studies. We now have three girls in the girls’ room and had to add closet space and additional shelving to accommodate the increase in storage needs. 🙂 It is SO nice to have the older girls at home again, even though they’re so busy with work and school that we don’t see much of them.
Tonight we hosted a bridal shower for a friend of dd20 and dd18; I simultaneously attended a high school graduation. Tomorrow afternoon is a petter chamor ceremony locally that I’d like to take the kids to; I’ve only been to one before this and most people have never been to one at all. Tomorrow morning this is what we’ll be learning about before we go!
Tomorrow night there will be a presentation I’m planning to attend in RBS called “Seeing the Beauty in Those Who Are Different”. This will be “a one-of-a-kind, fascinating event on how we can all understand better the mindset, capabilities and drives of those with Down Syndrome. But really, the event is about seeing the beauty in those who are different from ourselves.” I hope that this will be an empowering evening that will open peoples’ minds to the potential and abilities of people with T21.
Family members from the US arrived a couple of days ago to share in the celebration of our upcoming bar mitzva! Ds12 put on tefillin for the first time on erev Shabbos/Shavuos. This Shabbos we’ll be having family members with us for all the meals for a total of about 20. We’re keeping our plans on a smaller scale than our last bar mitzva, to honor the personality and preferences of the son we’re celebrating with.
This coming week dh and I will be celebrating our 23rd wedding anniversary.
We have Yirmiyahu’s third birthday coming up a week after the bar mitzva which means we’ll be having his upsherin (haircut for a boy when he turns three). I can’t believe how big he is already! The time really has flown by.
Even without all of these milestone events, I’ve been busier than ever since moving! There are a lot of choices for how to spend my time and now more than ever I need to plan carefully to make room for what’s important so it doesn’t get crowded out.
Avivah
may you continue with simcha after simcha, and have a healthy , fun,
(andcool) summer!
Amen and thank you, Rachelli!
Mazal tov on the Bar Mitzva and the Upsherin! So fun!! Much nachas from all of your children.
Hi, can you post details of where the lecture is tonite in RBS? I have a baby with DS, but haven’t heard of this shiur and would be interested to attend. Thank you!
Hi, Jillian – it will be at the RBS Matnas on Dolev at 8 pm, 10 shekel admission fee. Please introduce yourself if you see me!
Hi Avivah,
My life is also very busy and I can have a hard time figuring out how to prioritize and how to make sure those important things don’t get away, as well as finding time and ways to center and calm myself on a regular basis.
I know this is a “she’elat kitbag” (i.e., could take years to answer!) but a few tips, or the start of a series of tips on this would be welcome.
Mazal tov Aviva! bezras Hashem you sound like you have your days full with goo things-may Hashem continue to bless you with simchas b’simcha!
I also would love to hear an answer to this question- how to be cantered and present and calm and find “recharge time” when life is so busy. (Baruch Hashem)
May Hashem give you koach and bina to enjoy all these simchas 🙂
It’s a great question and an ongoing effort to be centered and present. I’d love to write about it but it’s a big topic and I honestly don’t know if I can do it justice in the limited time I have available.
Mazal tov! What a wonderful update! Much Nachas!