Jewish Penicillin

My adopted daughter Liz made Chicken Soup yesterday and Matzo Balls today. It is the 1st time she has ever made Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls. The timing couldn't have been more perfect as her youngest daughter, Emily, was diagnosed today with Strep Throat. What better medicine for a sore throat than a hot bowl of Chicken Soup. I gave her the recipe on Saturday for the soup and matzo balls. Not only did she go out on Sunday and buy all the ingredients, but she actually made the soup. Her daughters said, "it s delicious"! This was a great accomplishment for Liz, one that made here feel really good about herself.

I was on the phone with Emily when she told me "Mommy is making Matzo Balls right now". I said, "wait until you taste them, they are fabulous". Emily replied, "I know they will be Aunt Neen, because it's your recipe and everything you make is delicious". What a compliment! Isn't this what life is about. Validation.

All we do is important, it makes us feel good about ourselves when we accomplish something as simple as making a pot of soup. Our accomplishments are what add up to who we ultimately are. They don't have to big. These small validations help us through the bad days and make us feel warm and incredibly happy. Isn't this what we all want, just to be happy? To have people like what we do and more importantly, that we like what we do, that it makes us proud.

Life is a journey or it should be. An extraordinary journey! We don't always know where we are going or even how we are going to get there...but the journey, that's what helps to shape us, to make us who we ultimately become.

When we get older, it is the journey and the fun (even the days that aren't so much fun) that we should remember. Some of us are smart enough to keep a journal of our days. Others, like me never have. Fortunately, I remember most of my journey through this world and the 61+ years that I've been on my way.

Now that we have this tool called the internet and blogging I get to share some of journey. It doesn't matter if anyone is reading it...I'm enjoying the telling of it. Stick around...we've only just begun.

Neelie