This and That

--I discovered another skirt that does not need taking in.  For some reason, my long brown skirt stays up.  It does not stay up on my waist, but it does stay up.  I don't know why that is, because my size medium skort does need taking in, and this skirt is officially size large.  However, I will not complain...it just means 20 dollars to spend somewhere else.

--I am keeping a written list on my table, with two columns: "To Take In" and "Not To Take In."  Each time I wear a skirt that isn't listed yet, it goes in the proper column.  I have decided I have to wear all the skirts I have left before I wear any again, in order to complete the list.  In weekday skirts, I have to wear my coral pink stretchy (tomorrow), my long pink print (Thursday), my long black with multicolored flowers (Friday), and my medium denim (Sunday).  I also have two Sabbath skirts to try, a white flouncy one and a purple flowered one.  The purple flowered matches a specific blouse, and the white can obviously be worn with it as well.  This week, therefore, instead of wearing the same skirt Friday night and Saturday with two different blouses, I will wear the same blouse Friday night and Saturday with two different skirts.

--I'm thinking of getting a library card.  I was in the laundromat today (I go twice a week because I can't carry all my laundry at once), and the more talkative worker was there, so we were chatting.  I mentioned something along the lines of the fact that I only have four Jewish theology books, and I am almost through the third.  I had just been thinking of starting again, but I have read all the books multiple times now.  He suggested the library.  I think it's a good suggestion.  It's certainly cheaper than buying endless new books, and borrowing from my parents (we have seven bookcases in our living room, and they're practically filled with Jewish theology/philosophy) is logistically inconvenient.

--This week at synagogue I get to give a meaningful gift to a friend.  Sami (real name used with consent) is working on converting to Judaism.  (When he does, we are going to trade kippot.  I always give one from my collection to a friend who completes the conversion process as a meaningful, piece-of-myself gift.  He makes them, and offered to make me one.  It is going to be green, because in a collection of 29 I still don't have a green one.)  He mentioned a few weeks back that he wanted to start doing weekday morning prayers on his own, but didn't have a good prayer book to do it with.  I mentioned the military prayer book, of which my father is senior editor; I thought it would be good for Sami because it has clear directions and a nice translation.  My father brought one down when he last came to visit, and this week I will bring it to Sami.  I didn't do it last week because I had another friend visiting, and I wanted to bring it when I could focus on helping him explore it; before that I was hurting too much to go to synagogue at all.

--Please, please, please join me in praying for my little "Jacob"! It chafes at me how long he's been waiting, and you never know whose prayer at what time will tip God over the edge into action.

--Just for fun, after I post this I will spend the rest of my day (except for a phone call with Katherine) doing something Jewish.  I want to read more psalms, and I can keep going in my current theology book.  I will probably also write a letter to God.

--And now: "DUANE," aging out in NOVEMBER.  See what a little child he still is! "Duane" has three diagnoses.  They are: Down syndrome, neurodystrophy, and motor development disorder alalia.