Yes, next season I think I will go back to weekly recaps — there is always kind of a lot going on, and waiting until the end of the month to reflect feels a little much.
I spent second days of Succos/Shmini Atzeres in Montreal with my family. One day of Chol Hamoed, I went to the Biodome, for old times’ sake (my family used to go pretty much every year). I was there about two hours. It’s not the Bronx Zoo, but it is very nice.
Y”T was very nice under the circumstances. A lot of family was together and neighbors brought almost all of the food. It just felt like a gentle, connected time. Because my grandmother a”h passed away on Chol Hamoed, shiva started on motzoei Y”T. It kind of is odd when that happens, but it happens (my mother’s father a”h was niftar first days of Pesach so there was the same delayed shiva). My mother and her sister sat the last day of shiva at my aunt’s house and my (immediate) family went there for Shabbos. (Side note: as of this writing, the last time I was home for Shabbos was first days of Succos, and I have plans to go away this Shabbos, too. But anyway.)
This month, two of my sisters, two of my cousins, and I started a How to Winter book club, which is going nicely. We are reading chapter 4 this week. I haven’t done much reading otherwise, unfortunately. I have gotten stuck on a couple books that I was “supposed” to read for one reason or another, and I can’t wait to be through with them. I did take Art Cure out of the library and it looks right up my alley.
This month I went on a special trip back to France — this time to Alsace! This trip had a special ease and was the most amazing addition to my autumn.
In very minor news, AncestryDNA updated my percentages this month. I may be 2% Syrian. And I appear to be more Russian than originally calculated. Interesting!
My winter work schedule began this month: shorter Fridays and longer weekdays. It’s not my favorite — the weekdays can feel really long — but it is what it is.
I spent the third Shabbos with my friend and her friends in her aunt’s empty house (we’ve done this a couple times before). It is a nice change of pace.
My grandmother’s shloshim was last week. I suppose the word surreal would describe it? I told my sister, who wasn’t there, that it felt a bit like a family reunion gone wrong. No one’s fault, just the way it felt to me…
Other days last week, I walked the length of Manhattan and saw chrysanthemums and Saturn. I printed Alsace pictures, put them in an album, and tried a new (to me) café. I bought a cobalt blue hat and scarf which I love.
Finally, I spent the fourth Shabbos of the month at my cousin with my travel-buddy cousin as well. We showed our pictures and went through the itinerary together. My cousin who hosted us had a mini Eiffel Tower and a toy stork(!) and roses as part of the tablescape.
The trees this month have been spectacular – in the Adirondacks, the Black Forest, en route to Monsey-area where my cousin lives, locally. Amazing!
One final note that I haven’t shared yet, but I need to share that my dear friend passed away this month. There is so much to say about her and about this terrible loss, but one thing I will share for now is that there is a fundraiser to help support her children, and if you are able, it would mean so much to me if you could give. My friend Chana a”h had a huge impact on my life in ways that maybe impact you by extension — she taught me so much about grasping life with both hands, finding interesting things to do and doing them. She was the first friend I had who really traveled, and taught me not to be afraid of the world. She opened my heart and mind to all kinds of people, and made me a more nuanced and humble thinker. She was one of the most alive people I have ever known, and it is devastating and unbelievable to realize that she is not here. Please help if you can. May you always be in a position to give!
And with that, I think it is only appropriate to thank Hashem for bringing me here, to another month. May it be a healthy and good one for all of us. And thank you for being here!
