Merle Feld

One delightful bonus of the 25th Rosh Hodesh reunion I traveled to last week was that as the weekend approached, many of us went searching through old files and the backs of drawers for memorabilia of our years together. One dear friend, a young member of the group who celebrated her marriage in our early years together, found the compilation of advice ("mama-lings" we called it) which we created as a gift after she gave birth to her son. She xeroxed each of our contributions and presented them to us at the reunion. I was fascinated reading what I wrote for her 20 years ago this month when I spoke as mother of a 13 year old and a 9 year old...


Mama-lings for Amy

1- Love counts for a lot. Children know when they are loved and that knowledge feeds them.

2- There are times when you are too tired or too empty to love them and that's OK. They will survive those suspensions of caring and be none the worse for them. (more…)

Last week I traveled to be with old friends for a 25th reunion of our Rosh Hodesh group. We originally came together in the aftermath of a tragedy, slowly found ways of being together, our sharing evolved, and we became a group – no, more than a group, we became a family. This family, this circle of women and our monthly meetings constituted a cherished touchstone in the ongoing rhythm of my life. (We realized of course that though we called ourselves a Rosh Hodesh group our gatherings rarely coincided with the thinnest sliver of moon – simply put, we were a Jewish women’s group and so wanted a category, Rosh Hodesh, to confirm that.)

Over the years some of us had moved away, left the group, new women joined. Former members, continuous members, newer members gathered last week and as I prepared to see these old friends once again I found myself reminiscing, seeking to make meaning. Some particulars, some highlights –

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