Our 2016 tennis season has begun!  Once again, I am the captain of the Matchmakers.  We play out of Radnor Valley Country Club on the USTA 3.0, ages 40+ team.  No one wants to be the captain, so I stepped up and took over so that we could have a team.  Being captain involves recruiting players, communicating with the other captains, setting up a practice time, communicating with the players (before and after a match), making sure we have enough players each week, working closely with Coach Ken, puzzling out the schedule in case of rain, reworking the lineup when players are injured/sick, overseeing the lunches that our club provides on home matches, etc.  It’s a pain in the butt, but I do it because I love the team and enjoy our season. No, I don’t get paid.  It’s another Mitzvah from the Heart.

Anonymous friend (hiding behind her crutches) broke her leg is numerous places and has had surgery, other medical issues that arose from this break, a few different “casts” and has been unable to leave her house for weeks.  I have been trying to bring some joy to her life by visiting her as often as I could.  On this day, she was ready for her first excursion.  We carefully ventured out of the house for sushi.  We found a restaurant where parking was close to the front door and we could eat outside and enjoy the fresh air.  We always love connecting and never run out of things to talk about, and this was an especially nice outing!  It makes me so happy to see my friend happy!

One of our neighbors has a huge milestone this weekend – their oldest daughter is getting married.  Though we aren’t close enough with them to be included in the celebration, we really like them and wanted to share in their joy.  The dad told me that they were having a big family meal tomorrow night at 333 Belrose, where we spend a lot of time.  We decided to send a bottle of Prosecco to their table, with a congratulatory card attached.  I hope they like it!!

This was a fun one!  When Maddie and I were out and about, I decided to feed all of the expired meters.  It was a low cost but fun way to do an anonymous mitzvah.  I hope the drivers were happily surprised when they returned to their cars!

One of my volunteer commitments is to the Wolf Performing Arts Center.  Wolf PAC has been a wonderful community for Madelyn.  She has performed in numerous shows with them, and has participated in the multi-year and international Butterfly Project.  Maddie’s participation with Wolf PAC has given her way more than she has given.  The staff has been warm and welcoming at a time when there were not many places where she felt welcome.  The other kids have given her a community that is nonjudgemental and accepting when the school social scene was not ideal.

Not only do I support them financially, but more importantly, I try to support them with my expertise and time.  I am on the Board of QUILT (Quirky Individuals who Love Theater), and I’ve tried to help by using my organizational skills.  This week, I have been working on researching and clarifying  a list of organizations who are involved in the autistic community, as well as a similar list of potential donors.  The hours that I have put in to these documents are many, but the rewards I have gotten from Wolf PAC are many, so we’re even!

“Naches” is the yiddish word for the pride a parent feels when their child has done something they are proud of.  It’s the best feeling to have naches as parents, but it is even better when you can share it with your friends who are just as happy as if it were their own child.  That’s what I did tonight.  My close friends’ daughter was being honored by Chabad of the Main Line (I’m not putting up a picture of her as I’m trying to keep this anonymous).  I’ve known her since she was about two and I’ve seen her grow up into a bright, kind, and caring teenager.  She deserved every bit of her honor, and I was so proud to be able to join her friends and family on this special day.

This mitzvah is dedicated to my father, Ralph Heiman.  Dad was born in Israel in 1938.  He lived there during a time of chaos, both within his country and within his own home.  I grew up hearing stories about life in Israel and on the kibbutz, but I never really understood or appreciated the context surrounding his childhood.  Recently, I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of the AABGU Zin Fellows Leadership Program,  involving an “in-depth immersion into the issues involved in the continuing development of the Negev – the region’s history, topography, geography, demography, sustainability, and its unique place in the unfolding development of the State of Israel.”  Our first meeting in Florida just concluded and I cannot believe how much I learned, and what a deeper understanding I have about Dad, and who he is and who he has become.

Pioneer: pīəˈnir/ noun  a person who is among the first to explore or settle a new country or area.  Dad was truly a pioneer.  When he moved to the Hatzerim Kibbutz in the Negev around 1952, there were no settlements there!  The only people there were the Bedoin.  Throughout my classes, I gained a much deeper appreciation of what it meant to be an Israeli scout, just a teenager, living in a desert with no infrastructure.  I understood for the first time the political climate, and the strong commitment to building a Jewish home that has echoed throughout his life.

The lectures and readings have raised many questions and fostered a new type of communication between us – Dad, were you there when Ben Gurion spoke to the teens in Tel Aviv? (No, but I delivered flowers to his house for Rosh Hashanah and Paula answered the door!)  What was it like to be in Tel Aviv when Israel finally became a State?  What was it like to live under the British Mandate?  As a Zin Fellow, I am able to connect with my Dad in a new, deeper way. It’s been wonderful to honor my Dad while I still have him in my life.