My Jewish Elf

With a focused expression on her face, Irma carefully cut the Christmas wrapping paper. She was helping me adorn some old, empty boxes to put under our Christmas tree at the assisted living facility where I worked. With this little trick, it makes the scene more complete with beautiful packages under the branches. The last thing the residents needed was more stuff to put in their already crowded rooms. The house in which Irma lived had only been opened about 1 ½ months, but already she was anxious to help me with my chores in which I was the Activities Coordinator.

“Great job, Irma!”

A broad smile spread across her face and her eyes twinkled.

“You know, in the Jewish faith, children are to take the faith of their ‘maw-thers’” she said in her Brooklyn accent. My sons married women who weren’t Jewish, so I would help them with their Christmas presents. Since my parents weren’t strict, it never mattered to me.”

I sat cutting the paper and folding it to fit the packages and continued to listen. Her many memories came quickly of years long ago, but with her Alzheimer’s, current thoughts evaporated into thin air.

Irma’s passion is apparent to all. She loves life: little children and animals are her favorite. She is honest about her disease which will bring about a moment of frustration across the lines of her face.

When she was young, she knew Vic Damone personally within the music industry. Her face lights up when she carefully relates her repeated episodes of being escorted by him to her high school prom. Her life was full of adventures of close-knit, friendly Brooklyn neighborhoods of years gone by.

As we finished up our little project and we parted, I began to understand that the meaning of Christmas is Love and that wrapped up in this Christmas season has been a marvelous gift to me and to others: this woman personifies Jesus in her behavior. She truly is my wonderful Jewish “elf.”

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Ginnylynn is a new local book author who is a native of Texas. Her first inspirational book, A Family's Stronghold was written to provide encouragement to others dealing with Alzheimer's disease. Also included are my true stories and poetry about my family and pets. The book can now be purchased through the publisher as a rush delivery at www.publishamerica.com or other online services such as www.amazon.com, and available for ordering at area bookstores.
© 2008 Ginnylynn Rodriguez - All rights reserved. Visit Ginnylynn's blog here: http://ginnylynn.fetchbook.info
E-mail Ginnylnn at nitewriter54 ( at ) yahoo.com

This column is used with permission.