Josh and Lori's three girls in 2009
Rafaella 14; Noemi 19; Shayna 17,
and below in 1998. Josh's mother, Sandy, was a dear friend, and our friendship extends to her children and grandchildren. It would be great to attend the weddings of these three beautiful women.


Dear Family and Friends,

I started my blog this morning and inadvertently erased it. The lost text is probably lurking in my computer somewhere, but let it go! I can't write twice, because basically I write for myself—glad to have family and friends reading my posts of course.

So I will continue where I left off rather than start all over.

I know I am making very good progress, because I can do so many things I could not do before. I think back to the days I needed help to lift my leg (and Betty's gift of a leg-lifter came in so handy!), when I could not pull on my socks, when I could not get into my bed —and on and on. Now I can drive. I can walk with a cane, and, in close quarters, like my kitchen where counters are always handy, I can leave my cane leaning on the side. But, and this is the big But, I still feel a long way from normality. I can't imagine going into the City by train and walking up and down all the stairs, and walking to our apartment, just 6 blocks from Penn station. Can't imagine walking down the long, shiny corridors of the NYPL, can't imagine making my way to MoMA, just 13 blocks away. etc. etc. etc. I know I cannot lift anything even a little heavy: lifting makes my pelvis ache. I want to know how long this good but not great stage of my recovery will last. I do know I get better every day. I rode my stationary bicycle for 45 minutes today. But it seems so slow when I think back to March 15th the day before it happened, or even that morning when I was in my SPIN class—almost two months already. OK, it's not my nature to repine. I will soldier on.

We are hoping to hear from Harvey, our son, and Rachael, his daughter, who are in Oslo, he on medical business, she as a tag-a-long who needed a break from her strenuous filming schedule. Today, with nothing on the schedule, thank goodness, we will be phoning family and friends, catching up. Especially I want to thank Sophie and Brendan for their lovely party for Gracie First Communion. We do love this family. People ask "How do you know Sophie," and I say "Ever since the day she knocked on our door"; she stayed with us briefly while attending graduate school at C. W. Post, an arrangement made by a friend of ours who had recruited her as his first grad student in aesthetics and who asked us to let her stay with us until she got settled. Now she is a grad student again, but this time for a PhD in English. How can I help but be happy when I have such wonderful people in my life!

I heard today from some long-time friends who have been reading my blog. That makes me so happy. I enjoy hearing from all of you, friends and family.

Love,
Bernice