Above is a photo of me, of course, getting shorter by the day, with Noam and Sylvia. Sylvia is the daughter of my first cousin and Noam is her son. I have always felt that she was more like a daughter than a first cousin once removed, so her children are almost like grandchildren. Noam was born before any of my children's children, so he took the place of first grandchild. Can I express the thrill of his birth? And with Noam's two brothers, what a sweet, dear family this is. Sylvia now has nine grandchildren! Two of the families, Noam's and Yair live in Israel; Ari in a Detroit suburb.

The big news since I last wrote is that Noam arrived from Israel at about 6:30 a.m. on the 12th, got through the incoming process quickly, and his mother, Sylvia, brought him right over here. Merwin and I prepared a breakfast of mini-bagels and the various fixings that go with them. The best part was the talk—catching up on family, work, reminiscences, and the political condition in Israel. All good. Noam believes that things are improving, perhaps loosening the role of the extreme religious right. He and his wife Sharon are content in their work. He was here to make a presentation, I think today. So we hope to hear about how it went; he said it could be a game-changing event. He has three daughters, and we will post their photos soon: as soon as he got settled a bit here, he phoned his family, and his six-year-old daughter, Ora, wrote an email and sent photos of herself and her sisters. After our visit, by which time Sonia had arrived, Noam and Sylva left to see Dave, who took them to Morgan Park, a beach a short distance from Dave's house, where Noam as a child, with his two brothers, had romped around with a young Dave. They were pals.

Sonia is still with me because the job she thought she would have fell apart. I put a notice for her on our synagogue's Member to Member Board, and almost immediately got responses; I am fielding the inquiries for her. I am conflicted. I want her to have a good position, but I hope it's one that allows her to continue coming to me 2 mornings a week. Merwin is tired from the radiation, and I am trying to ease his burdens. But of course, I am limited in what I can do. I think Sonia will have something good for her (and her client) very soon, and I hope good for us too.

The following paragraph was written on Friday:

Today I am going to NYC with Laury (my dear friend) to attend a class at the NYPL on what they have there for Shakespeareans. Barbara F will be there too, I think. Later this afternoon Merwin will come in by train—after radiation, lunch, and a rest.

Soon, I'll write the news from Friday to Sunday: so much to share!

Love to all,
Bernice