“Whither thou goest, I will go.” (The Book of Ruth)

We recently celebrated Mother’s Day, and I had a scene replay in my head about my mother of blessed memory that I thought I would share with you today.

It happened many years ago, when I was much younger than I am now. I had had a major upset and did not like my mother’s response to it. The truth is that I no longer remember what it was that had gotten me so upset, but I do remember the rest of the story. I got so angry that day that my 7-yearold self decided I was not going to stay in my house, I mean, my parent’s house, a moment longer. And so, I screamed at my mom that I was going to run away from home.

My mother might not have had more than a high school education, but she had a lot of saichel, a lot of common sense, and her response to my anger was truly amazing. She told me that if that’s the way I felt, she would go get a suitcase for me. I followed her upstairs and watched as she went into the closet and pulled out not one, but two, suitcases.

I said, “Momma, I’m only 7 years old. I don’t have all that much to take with me. I only need one bag.”

And she said, “I know, but the other bag is for me.”

I asked her why she needed a bag and she said that if I was going to leave, then she was going with me. And she added, “Why don’t we go downstairs for a minute and I’ll make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for each of us in case we get hungry on the road.”

It sounded like a good idea to me. After all, I was already feeling peckish. But as I watched her, I noticed that she made three sandwiches.

I asked why and she said, “Well, I think when your father hears that you are leaving, he is going to want to go with you too.”

Then she took out more bread and put together two more PB & J sandwiches and I asked who those were for. She said they were for my brothers because she suspected that if I was leaving, they were going to want to go too to protect me and make sure I was okay.

Funny thing … I never left the house that day … and, I learned a very important lesson about family sticking together.

My mother and father may no longer be on this Earth, but my brothers are still here. We talk to each other pretty much every day, and, even though we live quite a geographical distance from one another, we still look out for and protect one another.

A part of me is with each of them and a part of them is with me. I can’t think of a better Mother’s Day gift for our dearly-departed mother and father. Nor can I think of a better way to honor their memory.

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and serves in this capacity in a number of Health Care settings in the area, including Advocate Home Care Services and L’Chayim Jewish Hospice in Partnership with Catholic Hospice of Broward County.