A really good week

We all have good and bad parts of our lives. It is so important to be grateful for the good. To be in the moment, to appreciate the blessings that we do have. As my dad would say, “No one has everything, but everyone has something.” And it is so true. There is always something to smile about, and if it takes you too long to find it, you are in trouble.

This past week, thank God, I had an abundance of things to be grateful for. My baby, Son #3, got married to DIL #3. It was truly magical. And I can honestly say that after having planned three weddings, thank God, that they were all totally different experiences. You wouldn’t think that was possible, but it really is. (Of course, it goes without saying, that all of my children’s in laws are amazing people.) And because Son #3 got married, Danish and her parents all came in from Israel.

I have not seen Danish and her parents in 11 months. 11 months is a really long time. My kids in Israel do not have smart phones, so the only time we see them is when they Zoom us because DIL #2 has a computer for work. It doesn’t matter where Husband #1 and I are, if we get a Zoom invitation, we stop anything we are doing, pull over if we are driving, and get to see Danish and her parents.

This is quite ironic, because Danish and her parents do not believe in screens — no television, etc, but Danish sees her Babka and Papa only on the computer screen. We are like her Elmo and Cookie Monster.

Did she recognize us? I will say yes, but I actually have no idea. She is one sweet Danish and I felt so, so blessed to have her together with her cousins, Strudel and her sister. I still have not given Strudel’s sister a name, but that doesn’t mean that I love her any less than her sister or her cousin. She does not look like anyone I know and I always say that to DIL #1, which, I am sure, annoys the bejabbers out of her. (Though, she is too well mannered to ever say, “Babka, stop saying that! It drives me crazy!!!!”)

I got all of them matching outfits, which, I thought, was the cutest thing ever, and I loved watching Strudel play with Danish. It was adorable. I tried my very best to savor those moments, knowing that I really don’t know when they will all be together again. We have been planning for this past week for months and then, in a second, it is over, and Danish is back on a plane with her parents.

I tried to convince Danish’s parents that they should just leave her with me for a few months, but it didn’t work. Husband #1 tried as well, but he was equally unsuccessful.

Back to the wedding. It was beautiful. It was a blur. Strudel decided to hold a can of Gerber’s puffs in all the pictures. The photographer kept trying to take it away from her, but she would not have it. I thought it was precious. Pictures are supposed to capture moments in time and Strudel holding the can was definitely doing that. And it made her happy, so that was fine with me.

I had bought a package of flower petals so Strudel could practice throwing them on the floor as she walked down the aisle. Babka did not think this though. Babka forgot that once all of the flower petals were thrown/dumped on the floor, someone, well, her (well, me) had to pick them all up. several times. And though Strudel did an amazing job walking down the aisle, she didn’t touch any of the petals in her basket. Ahh, the irony. Though the first thing I did when I got home from the wedding was throw out the practice petals. Lesson learned.

I apologize if this column is all over the place. It is basically mirroring how I am still feeling about the incredible events of the past week.

Wishing all of you the joy that I have been experiencing.

Banji Ganchrow of Teaneck tried her best to not be self-deprecating in this column, but let’s be honest, she resembled a flower truck in her dress…