Miss Becky's Blog

GROWING OLD ...

My sister, Sue, sent these quotes to Ken for his SEVENTY Birthday:

Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative. -- Maurice Chevalier

You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old. -- George Burns

Don't worry about middle age: you'll outgrow it. -- Laurence J. Peter

They tell you that you'll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don't tell you is that you won't miss it very much. --Malcolm Cowley

I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomnes less and less an issue and what you are is the point. -- Susan Sarandon

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are? Satchell Paige

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.

If you die in the elevator, be sure to push the UP button. -- Sam Levenson

THESE ARE MY FAVORITE . . .

Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't. -- Richard Bach

The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. -- William James

Wrinkles should merely indicate where the SMILES have been. -- Mark Twain

STAND TALL

STAND TALL

by Ruthie Just Braffman, a high school senior, who was filled with doubts and worries until her grandfather told her to “Stand Tall.”

It was no wonder I wasn’t looking forward to entering ninth grade. High school is well known for being a battleground, where everyone seems to be going through awkward physical changes, emotional mood swings, and low self-esteem. For me, height was my nemesis (BIG CHALLENGE).

I had always felt insecure and out of place as one of the taller members of my class in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, standing a head (about 12 inches) above the other girls and stooping at the back of the line to avoid sticking out.

I especially hated being around large groups of people, like during the social hour after services at my synagogue. Once the prayers were finished, I would leave as quickly as possible so I could avoid another well-meaning congregant (person attending the church) saying, “Ruthie! Look how tall you’re getting!” Ugh.

My grandfather would watch me grow increasingly uncomfortable, but he didn’t laugh at my self-consciousness or try to console me. Instead, he would admonish me.

“Stand straight and tall,” he’d say, as I unsuccessfully tried to shrink myself. And each time, I would sheepishly comply. Even at age 15, I understood that his advice ws about more than just feet and inches.

My Grandfather grew up in war-torn Europe. When German soldiers occupied his hometown, the beautiful and thriving city of Tarnow, Poland, he defied them and eventually wound up joining the Soviet army to fight for his country’s freedom. “Stand straight, stand tall,” meant something else back then.

It trusted my grandfather more than anyone else in my childhood. And whenever I was afraid of something, he would tell me stories of his life.

After the war, he boarded a boat for America, and on January 27, 1947, he stepped onto the dock of Pier 86 in Manhattan. He was hungry and suffering from seasickness. All alone in a new country, he was frightened about his future. Still, he marched head-on into the hustle and bustle of the streets of New York. Soon he met other European immigrants, each of them trying to find his or her own way.

If they could do it, why couldn’t he? “Stand straight, stand tall,” he would remind himself.

At first my grandfather refused to enter an American synagogue (a synagogue is a Jewish church building). He was angry with God for the loss of his entire family back in Europe. What’s the point of praying? He asked himself. Who is listening?

But soon he began to long again for the beauty of Judaism (the Jewish religion) and the comfort of the Jewish community. He felt his faith returning. When he walked into the synagogue that first time, he walked in proudly.

Standing straight and standing tall.

Thanks to the help of a loyal and trusting friend, my grandfather acquired a jewelry both on Canal Street, at that time the heart of the busy diamond district in New York City. He once told me how nervous he was on that first day of work. He was not only trying to learn this tough new business, but also a new language.

To his surprise, the men in the neighboring booths—who could have taken advantage of him—offered their help and advice. Within months, my grandfather was commanding his spot behind the counter, selling diamonds and cultured pearls as if he’d been doing it his whole life.

Stand straight. Stand tall.

In later years, my grandfather would escort both my mother and her sister down the aisle at their weddings. As he stood with each of them beneath the chuppah (the traditional Jewish wedding canopy), he thought about their new beginnings, and of the adventures and journeys they would experience together. He also thought about the children who would one day carry on his family name.

I am so proud to be one of those children. Listening to my grandfather’s remarkable experiences has changed the way I view my own life. His advice to me has become much more than a challenge to improve my posture. It tells me to be proud of who I am.

“Stand straight, stand tall,” my grandfather told me.

And I do.

(This article is from a book entitled: “The RIGHT WORDS at the RIGHT TIME” by Marlo Thomas and Friends. All the royalties (money earned from the sale of the book) are donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.)