I was having a decluttering kind of morning and decided to get rid of as much as I could. For someone who enjoys this kind of activity, I was amazed at how much I continued to store but never used – like purses, for example. Each season, I treat myself to a new one. Since I can’t bring myself to plunk down hundreds of dollars for one that isn’t even real leather, I always seem to settle for something I like that is either on the clearance table or in a discounted shop. When the new season rolls around, I put last year’s model on a shelf in my closet where it sits with others in a heap like rusted old cars in a junkyard. The thought in my mind is that maybe I’ll reuse it the following year.

I walked by my dining room just now and closed an open drawer. It was from a little table we bought after moving here a few years ago. I needed it for my leichter, and it was a chore finding just the right one. I learned that what I was looking for is called a console table and searched high and low but couldn’t find one that fit the very small space that I had for it. I remember feeling pleased when my search was finally over – and even happier when the table fit perfectly in the spot where it needed to go.

The console table has three drawers, which I had no intention of using when I first bought it. But wouldn’t you know: Those drawers are now stuffed to the gills. Well, I could argue that they’re filled with necessary things that I use when I light my candles every Friday night. One drawer holds boxes of wicks, another the book of brachas I say for Shabbos and Yom Tov, and the last one contains lighters, matches, and tea lights – all things needed for candle lighting. I wondered as I closed the drawer where I would have put all those things if I didn’t have that cute little console table. Frankly, I just can’t imagine.

I have a friend whom everyone likes. Know the type? She claims it’s because they like listening to her South African accent, but I know better. My friend Wendy has this wonderful way about her that draws everyone to her like a magnet. She is also known for the amazing amounts of chesed she does for her community. I remember when Wendy used to hold sheva brachos in her house for upwards of 60 to 70 people even if she barely knew the baalei simcha. She did more than that. Wendy organized the events and helped cook the food too. Who does that? Wendy’s kindness to others was truly amazing, but she always acted like it was nothing.

Well, to say it’s about time is what I would really call an understatement. This year marks the tenth-year anniversary for my sheitel. It was 10 years ago that we married off two of our children. At that time, I bought myself a brand new sheitel and at a remarkably good price, too. Who knew it would last as long as it did?

Here I am, 10 years older, and my sheitel is finally ready for the dust bin. And while I’m at it, I’ve decided that I’m tired of the tried-and-true look that I’ve worn all these years. I’m not one of those women who can visualize what kind of sheitel I’d look best in without seeing it, nor am I that interested in the latest fashion. In fact, I can’t say I would even know what that is. I’m more the type of person who knows what I don’t like more than what I do. I definitely had my work cut out for me with this task as my quest for the new me began.

It’s that glorious time of the year when the crape myrtle trees are in full bloom. I never saw these trees any place but Baltimore although they’re known to grow throughout the southeastern part of the country. Picture medium-sized trees laden with large tufts of blossoms in gorgeous colors. When we moved here, I was simply amazed when I first saw them. I’m used to seeing flowering trees in the springtime, long before their leaves first appear. Crape myrtle trees only start blooming in July but can continue into September. For a flower lover like me, they are truly a sight to behold.

I have a friend whom everyone likes. Know the type? She claims it’s because they like listening to her South African accent, but I know better. My friend Wendy has this wonderful way about her that draws everyone to her like a magnet. She is also known for the incredible amount of chesed that she does for her community. I remember when Wendy used to hold sheva brachos in her house for upwards of 60 to 70 people even if she barely knew the baal simcha. She did more than that. Wendy organized the events and helped cook the food too. Who does that? Wendy’s kindness to others was truly amazing but she always acted like it was nothing.