Day 288: Memories

The last of my relatives in my mother's generation died this afternoon...a wonderful, generous and steadfast man. He lived a long life, was 90+ years old, lived to see his grandchildren grow into fine young adults, and had the respect of everyone in our family.

It's hard to be sad for him...mostly I'm sad for his daughter (my cousin), his grandchildren and myself. I know we will all miss him. In thinking about him now, I find myself smiling at many fond memories. He visited my mother many times in NY...I can see them now, around her kitchen table, he playing solitaire, she meddling. And I visited him whenever I was in Israel where he often sat at the kitchen table playing solitaire. I remember, too, a much younger Tzvi standing guard at the bedroom door to ensure we youngsters went to sleep, when we would much rather have stayed up all night talking. Random memories. Lots of love.

May he rest in peace. And if there is an afterlife, I expect there is a big family reunion happening there tonight.

Me, my brother and Tzvi, Haifa, 2008