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From My Pocket a Pebble
by Pam Mandel
Liv Fun: Vol 6 – Issue 3
We have walked down a very quiet street to a dead end. There’s a retirement home here, and some non-descript apartment buildings. All the grit and glamour of Vienna is behind us; this location makes no sense. But we are in the right place; we know because my husband asks at the front desk. You must walk through the lobby and out into the quiet courtyard, and there you will find Vienna’s oldest Jewish cemetery. Well, the oldest remaining one, at any rate.
Established in 1540, the cemetery holds elaborately carved headstones — and pieces of headstones — some moved here when they were recovered from their not-quite-hiding place in Vienna’s Central Cemetery. The stones are carved with Hebrew texts, elaborate scrolls; some of them have the traditional symbol of raised hands; some have the Star of David. They are placed in random order; it’s hard to tell which stones are in their original locations and which have been placed here, in this private garden, away from the bones they’re meant to define.
A different time, also Vienna. The stones are covered in ivy; they lean at haphazard angles. Some are small and delicate, but many are bold and tower over my head. We are alone, and then a woman appears, her finger held to her lips. She is stalking the deer that graze this neglected part of the cemetery; perhaps she’s the one who’s thrown kibble on the pathways — such paths that remain. We don’t ask, and I’m angry. I turn away; this is not a petting zoo.
The headstones here sing of wealth and pride, some of them are family sanctuaries, the black granite stamped deep with names of families that are gone now. There is no one here to clear the vines away, to place the pebble that signifies a visit. The deer bolt, and I go back to reading the names out loud.
Liv Fun
by Leisure Care
Autumn 2017
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When I Grow Up
by Jessica McCurdy Crooks
Dreams and visions of our future are an important part of growing and learning. And, like so much else, they tend to change during the different phases of our lives. It is important to have a roadmap of how we want our lives to progress, but we also need to bear in mind that roadblocks will occur along the way.
From My Pocket a Pebble
by Pam MandelThe headstones here sing of wealth and pride, some of them are family sanctuaries, the black granite stamped deep with names of families that are gone now. There is no one here to clear the vines away, to place the pebble that signifies a visit. The deer bolt, and I go back to reading the names out loud.
On Our Best Days
by Nancy Gertz
Is being happy the holy grail of human experience? Many of our spiritual traditions suggest that we are more likely to thrive when we live meaningful lives; happiness shows up in sparks and memorable moments, but it isn’t a steady state or something we can attain and sustain. In fact, modern researchers tell us that actively searching for happiness decreases our chances of actually achieving it.