Jewish Women of Words

January 2021

By

My 2021 calendar arrived late,
So my tradition of filling it in on New Year’s morning
Went by the wayside
As many events of the past year have gone.

Finally, on January 6, I sat and replaced the old one
Writing in birthdays of loved ones in each month
Circling the Jewish holidays
With hopes of a better year to come.

With the TV on in the background
And realizing, that so far in 2021, from one day to the next
The Breaking News hadn’t changed and it actually was getting worse
In ways that were far beyond The Twilight Zone scripts from the previous few years.

Suddenly my attention was averted from my task
Because my eyes and ears didn’t believe what the TV screen brought into my home!
“Isn’t this America and not my Bubbe’s Russia?” I thought!
Tears flooded my eyes: I could only think how she would have felt had she witnessed America’s insurrection, the country she came to for freedom and safety.

And then I wondered what my grandchildren were thinking about in these moments of disbelief in their America
So I immediately texted my children and grandchildren to turn on the TV to watch history in the making
My granddaughter, a senior in virtual class at the moment, quickly texted me that her teacher burst out in tears
And cancelled class.

Like many families on that fateful day, we spoke, texted and emailed all our thoughts and fears
And agreed, before January 20, that we should have enough food for the week, no one should be outdoors unless absolutely necessary
For these kinds of emotions of trepidation, fright and alarm were feelings of new
But we agreed, better safe than sorry. And we’re already used to staying inside.

With the anticipation building, January 20, for me, and my family agreed, was a day of national pride
Watching the best of our leaders
Present a ceremony of inclusion
And, most of all, HOPE.

As I always do, my thoughts of the current events
Go to my grandchildren
And what will be their take-aways
Because for us Baby Boomers, we’ve lived through a variety of tough times, though, this has been different.

So my greatest prayer for 2021
For ourselves, kids and grandkids
Is that we all get vaccinated
and these current events aren’t the new normal on our calendar of life.

Article by Author/s
Sandra Taradash
As a Baby Boomer Bubbe who still feels 18 but has four grand kids to prove this is the 21st Century, Sandra writes to leave a legacy for the next generations. Her belief that these precious kids need to know their cultural and family's past in order for them to live their best future is all the muse she needs. She has a Master's Degree in Psychology and Cross Cultural studies, has written a family history, personal memoir, has completed her first novel and is working on her second. She spent some of her best times as a national board member to Women of Reform Judaism and president of her Temple's chapter. She also worked for The J, the Jewish newspaper of the San Francisco Bay Area. Her Bubbe's journey to America from Russia, with a life of too many losses, is her source for her deep belief and love for Judaism and family. Sandra is proudly Californian born and bred. These days, when Sandra is not writing or spending time with her three children and grandchildren, she is a Home Chef for local families who don't have time to cook healthy, fresh meals. She creates weekly menus for the families to choose from, provides their ingredient list and then goes to the client's home and cooks the various dishes! Stories and food---SO Jewish!

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