Not every day there is an opportunity to have four
generations under one roof.
I was lucky in the last month to be surrounded by my son,
some of my grandchildren and many of my great-grandchildren.
When one of my grandsons visited me, he wanted to go out
into the yard with the little one and saw how neglected it is. Whereupon he
organized, as a surprise for my upcoming 89th birthday, a whole
bunch of them. On a Friday morning at 9.00 o'clock in the morning, some 20
people of all ages turned up, and hoed and collected all garbage that had
accumulated since I could no longer cope with it by myself. They cleared up the
yard that surrounds my flat and at lunchtime ordered Pizza. I joined them and
together we consumed the Birthday cake.
A mere couple of weeks later, my grandson, who is a leader
of a Hiking Youth Group, asked to tell them my life story as he has heard from
me at previous occasions. They were ten of them and 15 years old. I agreed and
we fixed a date.
I then got a request by my 13 year old great-grandson from
Beer Sheva if he could join. After a
couple of days he asked if could bring a friend along. I agreed. In the end
fife of them made arrangement to come to Jerusalem by bus to Jerusalem, my son
would pick them up at the bus station. So I had a houseful of different ages.
To begin with I tried to explain the relationship between a
great-grandmother and her great-grandson. For him and his mates it really was
part of their school assignment, to find out about their family roots.
Before we started a boy with an I Pad took a picture of four
generations, me, my son Danny, my grandson Matan and my great-grandson Nadav.
With the power point projection I shared with the whole
bunch of children my story, and often told them when I was your age, that is
what happened to me.
They all listened with great attention. They returned home
and were glad to have had the opportunity to be with me, to hear my story.
For me it made the day and I am pleased, that the present
generation takes an interest in what happened a long time ago.
