{"id":2825,"date":"2008-04-27T20:29:12","date_gmt":"2008-04-28T04:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=2825"},"modified":"2008-04-28T14:23:50","modified_gmt":"2008-04-28T22:23:50","slug":"she-wouldve-been-78","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=2825","title":{"rendered":"She Would’ve Been 78"},"content":{"rendered":"

My mom died April 24, 1970<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I was almost four.<\/p>\n

I remember her.<\/p>\n

Most of the women I’ve loved have been like her — cute, cuddly, nurturing and chronically late and unorganized.<\/p>\n

She would’ve turned 78 Saturday.<\/p>\n

I don’t say yizkor for her in shul because she was a goy and she doesn’t count for anything in Judaism.<\/p>\n

Sorry mom. May your neshama have an aliyah.<\/p>\n

I honor your memory by sleeping through sermons just like I did as a child at your soon-to-be-removed breast.<\/p>\n

When I converted, I was born again. I don’t have any ritual obligations to my family even though they send me checks and cheer in times of need.<\/p>\n

Jane emails:<\/p>\n

Oh’ yes you do…a lot!!!…Owe her, I mean. She gave you life, raised and cared for you during your early years. At times mother leaves, against her will … but she never stops loving. Just as Hanna came up each year to see her little boy serving at the Shilo. It is written, that she’d make a little coat for him. How many tears were stitched into her boy’s coat? How many blessings embroiled into the seam? Mother’s love keep one warm throughout life’s journey. I felt YOUR love to her, the lose and sadness embedded between your lines just as Madam Defarge was knitting her messages, in Charles Dickens "Tale Of Two Cities’. Mother’s love is bigger even then conversion and does not negate your choices. A mother wraps you with her blessings and just prays to keeps you warm and safe. <\/p>\n

>>You sound like a mom.<\/p>\n

Yes, Nothing I’ll ever do in life will come close to it. I needed to speak from the heart and clarify the feelings of being one. Someone has to stand up and speak for her. Your Dad, may he live to 120 and your deceased mother, may she rest in peace, deserve our gratitude. We read and enjoy the fruit of their labor. You come from a wonderful family.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From my live cam chat Sunday night<\/a>:<\/p>\n

YourMoralLeader:  hi guys
\nYourMoralLeader:  me luv u long time
\nguest6:  u luv emma short time
\nYourMoralLeader:  but intensely
\nguest6:  laugh, live and love intensely
\nguest6:  how was the holy passover?  are we now matzoh free ?
\nYourMoralLeader:  it was fine
\nYourMoralLeader:  urs?
\nguest6:  it was long and hot & i am only referring to the holiday
\nYourMoralLeader:  you dont mind if i steal your best lines?
\nguest6:  steal away
\nguest6:  i just read on your blog about your mother.
\nguest6:  sorry
\nguest6:  it was very sweet
\nYourMoralLeader:  i’m not just a horny hound dog
\nguest6:  do you say yizker for her in shul?
\nYourMoralLeader:  no, she was a goy
\nYourMoralLeader:  dont count
\nguest6:  one of the few things i admire about you is the way you write
\nguest6:  horny hound dogs should get their love & attention any way they can
\nYourMoralLeader:  I twice mentioned my cam to people over Pesach and both times they got creeped out. Cams creep people out. You and i know better. Perhaps I should not have talked so much about my ….
\nguest6:  what does your…have anything to do with your cam  ?
\nguest6:  its like watching a car crash  you really can’t look away…either at your…or your cam<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My mom died April 24, 1970. I was almost four. I remember her. Most of the women I’ve loved have been like her — cute, cuddly, nurturing and chronically late and unorganized. She would’ve turned 78 Saturday. I don’t say … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[5858,5822,3392,29773,3055,671,5857],"class_list":["post-2825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal","tag-aliyah","tag-april-24","tag-goy","tag-judaism","tag-neshama","tag-shul","tag-sorry-mom"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t