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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
July 31, 2009
/ 10 Menachem-Av 5769
Life savings loaded with socks and bonds
By
Lori Borgman
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
My dad's Ford Explorer with suede and leather trim is mine now. My brother nudged me to take it when Dad died last year. It was the most wonderful nudge I've ever had in my life.
On the occasional late afternoon when I find myself on back roads and the sun has turned to gold, it's almost like Dad is still here sitting in the passenger seat, surveying the crops and keeping an eye out for deer.
My father-in-law's zippy convertible, the one he bought a year after my mother-in-law died, the same year he turned 86, is parked in our driveway.
Last Sunday I burned a quarter tank of gas, driving with the top down and the radio blaring.
All of our parents are gone now, both of our dads within little more than a year. The most daunting task that follows death is closing out houses.
So much stuff. You start sorting towels in one room and wind up grouping picture frames in another. If you don't have attention deficit disorder when you begin closing out a house, you will by the time you're finished.
Having handled a lot of stuff in the past few years, I've developed some ideas on what I want done with my stuff when I'm gone. The first rule when I die is this: Nobody goes through my underwear drawer.
I've done three underwear drawers now and there's just no dignified way around it. I hereby dictate that upon my demise my underwear drawer become a two-person project. One person holds open a trash bag and the second person empties the drawer.
This will eliminate any commentary about my socks, bras, and nighties. It should also preclude any and all discussion as to whether I actually thought that shapewear did any good.
I won't want every drawer dumped wholesale. There's something therapeutic about going through your loved one's earthly belongings.
It's how you learn that your dad had 14 pocket knives in his nightstand and liked pressed handkerchiefs. When you see that your mother used every spare dresser drawer for tablecloths and linens, it is reaffirmation that big parties are your heritage.
Bagging 43 pairs of dress pants, including a blue seersucker and pink seersucker, etches into your memory that your father-in-law was a fashion risk-taker, even at 97.
Give my clothes to charity when I'm gone, but only the good stuff. We give a lot of garbage to non-profits. Why punish the poor?
After my clothes have been taken care of, I'd like family members to move to the kitchen and take any dishes that make them smile. Maybe it's a serving bowl from a dinner that was a disaster or the pedestal plate that held triple-layer chocolate cakes.
If there are still some nice things left, call my remaining cronies and tell them to come help themselves. (If it's the same set of friends I have now, they'll need coffee and Danish.)
As for the rest of the stuff, have a sale. But make it a respectable sale. I want early bird specials from 8-10 a.m. Honor all coupons and set up a clearance area marked 75 percent off the ticketed price.
The family is headed into the second month of going through things at my father- in-law's. When you consider everybody who has come and gone and enjoyed conversation amid the boxes and the piles, I almost wonder if he saved all this stuff just to get the family together one more time.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Lori Borgman is the author of , most recently, "Catching Christmas" (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.) and I Was a Better Mother Before I Had Kids To comment, please click here. To visit her website click here.
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© 2009, Lori Borgman
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