If this will make you feel better Robert the IAEA wasn't even aware Libya had a nuclear program until they decided to turn them in...

As an aside a friend of mine just retired was a long time (47 years) photographer for our newspaper the Sacramento Bee.

As with most people in the news business you know that over the years they have a lot of interesting stories if you can just dig them out!

At his house I saw a picture of what was a buxom blond that looked a lot like Jayne Mansfield.

Turns out that that's exactly who it was, and she was up here to do some commercials for a local furniture retailer just a few months before her untimely death. She also had someone drive her Ferrari up from Hollywood, so she didn't have to deal with a rent a car...

Long story (which this is rapidly becoming) short, Jayne and Erhardt had a conversation and Jayne wanted him to show her the town for a couple of days.

Erhardt learned that Jayne loved animals and they stopped by our animal shelter so she could adopt a couple of cats.

My daughter wanted me to let you know she loves the photo. She's not particularly concerned about Iranian bombs, either. Given that she is six, that's OK with me. But when do people stop being six and start worrying?

Hi,
I just wanted to tell you that I saw "The Devil's Arithmetic" many years ago in Romania. Now I live in Canada and I still remember the movie, Holocaust stories are hard to forget... Thank you for the emotions that this movie left in me.

Dear Robert & Karen, I went to the public library today looking for anything appropriate for my 14 yr old frum daughter to read & for Morris the Moose (a kosher animal?)to teach the letter M to my kindergarten students. I saw the name Avrech & hoped against hope for a Kosher book: Upon opening the back flap, I yelled out in excitement,(to my daughter's huge embarassment)"This is the father of my kid!" My friend, standing nearby, asked me quizzzically, "Your husband wrote a book???" I said, "No! My student's father from 20+ yrs ago." I was single then & told them (you) at parent teacher conferences for nursery school that Ariel was the child whom I most envisioned my future children to be like, & boy, was I right. Countless moments of parenting, saying to myself, "Just like Ariel..." Although not a single one with those luminous dark chocolate eyes. I vividly remember looking into Ariel's eyes the day after I became engaged to my blue eyed, first huband, thinking, "Well, there goes that dream. Oh, well."

So I grabbed The Hebrew Kid to read on SHabbos but wanted to see first if I could find some place to e mail you & find out what my still much beloved Ariel was up to these days. The miracle of google...

But first I read the dedication page & am sitting here crying & crying & crying. I read your Aish article & saw my beautiful Ariel, all grown up. I remember him sitting on his tricycle, not exercizing his gross motor skills about which I was so concerned. I asked him what he was doing, just sitting there, & he would always tell me, "I'm thinking up stories..." and he would tell me fantastically complicated tales...

It seems Life is a fantastically complicated tale, as well. My heart is broken. It's a good thing Hashem is with the Nishbarei Lev. Although my first son is 20 and alive, I, too, have lost him, have no more than a general idea of where he may be and what he is doing. I know we will all be reunited in the next dimension and be given a clear explanation of all the pain and loss, and it will all make so much sense, & fit together so perfctly, that we will laugh instead of cry. Until then, you have my warmest wishes for nachas from your daughters and your continuted deep & abiding love for one another. Morah Yocheved from Hillel Nursery, now from Detroit, http://artbydrasnin.com

My planned comment was blown away by the power of the previous one.

Refuah Shleimah and Shabbat Shalom from the Holy City of Shiloh

Refu'ah sheleima! Hope you're better in time to enjoy Shabbos.

(When I saw the poodles, my first thought was that this was another Obama-related post - you know, the search for a hypoallergenic dog. Oops!)

Bill:

The IAEA scare me as much as the Persians.

Bill:

Funy you should mention Jayne M. I recently downloaded some amazing photos of the lady with her many pets. I'll post them in the near future.
Thanks so much for the wonderful anecdote.

Leora:

Very glad that your daughter enjoys the pic of Doris and her poodles.

I believe that children should enjoy their childhoods. One of the things I really hate is when parents politicize their children. I consider it child abuse when I see lefties indoctrinating their kids when they drag them to all sorts of protests for: global warming, abortion (!?!?), gay marriage, whatever is in fashion at the moment.

Childhood is short, children should enjoy it and parents have a special responsiblity to respect that.

Dear Morah Drasnin:

Karen and I are deeply moved by your note. In fact, Karen was moved to tears. It means so much to us to know that Ariel's ZT'L Kindergarten teacher remembers him so vividly and with such perfect clarity. We often tell each other that if we allow ourselves to remember Ariel as he was, as he really was, we would not be able to function properly, that our lives would just grind to a halt. And so every once in a while, a voice form the past steps into the present and reminds us that yes, that was our Ariel, yes, our memories are correct, yes, that's the way it was.

Thank you so much.

May we only share simchas together.

Have a lovely Shabbat.

Casual Blogger:

Thanks so much for writing. I'm glad to hear that you like The Devil's Arithmetic. It took me seven years to get that film produced. When I received the Emmy Award for the script, it was a sweet vindication. BTW, the concentration camp scenes and the European scenes were shot in Lithuania.

The Devil's Arithmetic is the film I'm proudest of in my entire career.

Batya:

I am feeling better. Thanks so much. Obviously, we too were blown away by the comment from Ariel's ZT'L wonderful kindergarten teacher.

Alter:

Feeling much better. Helped by the fact that Offspring #2 and Ma'ayan are in Los Angeles for Shabbos.

LOL! about the hypoallergenic dog.