Bundled Day: Today we are bundling Pegasus with mall shopping and Yom Kippur break-fast in NYC. So far, so good. After meeting at riding, my daughter and I went on a mission to purchase party shoes (no small challenge as she needs flats with straps), jeans and cords (equally challenging as she wears petites which are only available in catalogs, but nevertheless we do the stores because she can see the options), a birthday gift for her apartment-mate and a goodbye gift for her bro (who has taken a new job in NYC). Her ideas, her list. And we got it all done by 1PM. Last night she called to request that I bring her sequined skirt and silver shimmery shirt to the apartment. Apparently the gal wants to dress up to see her relatives this afternoon, starting the Jewish year of 5772 with some glitter and glow. But don’t get me wrong. She has no interest in the holiday per se or its deep meaning. Religion has not been a cornerstone of her upbringing, as her parents are neither observant nor raised in the same faith. In fact, if I had to give our children a religious predisposition, I would say she was our Catholic (she shops with the thinking and planning instincts of the gifting Christmas mentality I have studied and learned from my husband’s family), our son the Jew. The Day of Atonement, sacred to many in my family, for our daughter is about being with people she loves. Not a bad idea either.

The Big Hearts Bathrobe: What did she buy for her apartment-mate? The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer raspberry colored bathrobe with the big hearts that she had spotted at Forever 21 earlier in the week while on an outing with staff. $1 of each purchase goes to the foundation. And what other “big-hearted” effort did this girl pursue? When she read on Facebook that a “typical friend” whom she treasures, who lives far away and is not generally accessible, was suffering a heartbreak when a long-term relationship ended, she texted them with words so compassionate and caring, I teared up hearing them. She also texted a request to call, but the friend said not for now please and she handled that as well. If the world had more folks like our daughter the need for atoning might be less critical. I am not suggesting she is a saint, a prophet or a priestess, but she sure has a hell of a big heart.

©Jill Edelman, M.S.W., L.C.S.W. 2011