My Littermates — InsideSources

A Moment of Gratitude for the Week of Thanksgiving

I count my comforts these days. Maybe it’s the times. Maybe it’s age, but as I write this, I count my dogs, the cup of coffee that starts my day, and my siblings. Yes, siblings. They are the ones who with one word know exactly where you are going. It’s kind of like the joke where comedians shout out a number, and they all laugh. The joke doesn’t even need to be told.

I have been blessed from the start with wise parents who shaped a family where everyone counted. My parents owned a small kosher grocery store where we all worked to support the business. Apply any financial criteria to our life, and we would definitely have been considered poor. The magic of my parents is that we never knew this. Our home was 1241 square feet with one bathroom for our family of eight. I grew up thinking that bananas are to be eaten when brown, and over-ripe peaches are simply the best (well they kind of are, right?).

Into this world, insert my three brothers and two sisters. We are alike in the most important ways and different in the ways that make life interesting. Ask any one of us what is the most heinous quality that a person could sport, and you would likely hear, “Arrogance.” We value community because we grew up in a small and connected neighborhood. We value education because my parents never had the…