I saw a woman today whom I used to sit behind in shul.
She was always dressed beautifully.
Her hats always matched her dresses.
Her daughter was slim, pretty, very with it, popular with the crowd of young people hanging around outside of shul.
Her husband was a "macher" in the shul- loud, outspoken, rich and influential in shul politics.
She seemed, back then, bigger than life.
I saw her today and almost didn't recognize her.
I haven't grown much in the past 20 years. She must have shrunk a little.
Her hair wasn't "done".
As she pushed the shopping cart she was shuffling along. In her practical orthopedic shoes and a long denim skirt. She looked so old. And frail. And smaller.
I saw a woman today whom I knew when I was young and she was my mother's contemporary.
what happened?
20 years passed by. Life has continued. She is a great grandmother.
The things that I noticed that seemed important 20 years ago are not so important now.
She didn't know who I was.
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1 comment:
Very powerful post.
Nowhere is point brought home more vividly than when performing "chesed shel emes". Although people may live in this world in different ways, they all go out exactly the same.
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