6 minute read
Sisterhood
SISTERHOOD Tick tock, tick tock, the clock is about to strike 12 Midnight and my fairy tale is about to come to an
Robyn Rosengard end. These past two years have been quite a ride. Although this will be my next to last bulletin article, I am beginning to wrap things up and what a ride it has been! I have looked back through my bulletin articles over the past two years and want to reflect a little on just how far we have come. The first year of my Sisterhood presidency was going quite smoothly with great programs and events along with some outstanding fundraising efforts. As we turned the corner on the winter of 2019-2020 things changed just a little. The pandemic has changed our lives in good ways and bad. As you all know I try to focus on the good in everything, so let us list all the good things from this past year. More time with the family. Learning new technology. Learning to love being outside, even in the cold. Discovering the best parts of our driveways and backyards, then realizing we have made our yards nicer. Embracing new medical advancements. Teaching our children the value of being present in the moment (really? Instagram!). I could go on and on. This time in our lives has been transformative and, in some cases, helped us to get out of our comfort zone and try new things. How many of our Sisterhood members even knew what Zoom was? Through all the crazy ups and downs we never stopped moving forward. We had our meetings, we produced our events and programs and, most of all, we stayed connected to our CBS family. A year ago, my bulletin article listed my top 5 quarantine highlights and we really thought we were coming to the end of this pandemic. Well, one year later, I am here to tell you that I honestly believe that we are coming to the light at the end of this COVID tunnel. Let us reflect on those top 5 moments. 5. I have really mastered the art of puzzle completion. 4. I have improved my dishwasher loading efficiency. 3. I am improving my skills on the computer and learning how to use it to stay connected to family and friends. It is much cooler than the phone. 2. My cooking skills have improved dramatically, even though I would still vote not to do the cooking. I think I have embraced my inner chef. And the number one highlight of this quarantine experience. Drum Roll Please! 1. My family and I have sat down to the dinner table together more in the past few months than we have, in well, forever. We are rediscovering each other. We are appreciating each other and remembering how nice it is to make the time to be together. To be honest, one year later, I would not change a thing. Ok, maybe a few. Now I have the distinct honor of thanking Laurie B. Davis for planning a wonderful Culminating, Installation, and Valued Volunteer event with our speaker, Leslie Goddard, and the recognition as our Valued Volunteer. I am so honored to be recognized for my contributions to Sisterhood. H
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APPY SPRING!!!! On to summer!!! With love, CBS Sisterhood generously gave Robyn out boxes of delicious sweet treats during Pesach!
On Saturday evening, March 20, 2021, we had an emotional and spiritually uplifting Steven Elisco
Men’s Club Shabbat and Night of Recognition. As we transitioned from Men’s Club Shabbat to the Night of Recognition, I presented the following D’var Torah: It is just past one year since we as a Men’s Club last gathered at Congregation Beth Shalom to pack the candles for our Yellow Candle Program on March 11, 2020. As the evening progressed, social media and news reports were coming in of travel bans being enacted. By the end of the following week, we were all staying at home. There is no question Humanity shared an awfully bad year and we are still not out of it yet. Many have suggested writing the past year off. But is that what we really want or should do? I am reminded of the poem by Rabbi Alvin Fine, “Life is a Journey”. It begins and ends with “Birth is a Beginning And death a destination And life is a Journey”. We are each responsible for creating our own life’s journey, addressing, and overcoming its challenges and embracing and celebrating its successes. The journey we have all experienced this past year needs to be remembered for what it was and take its proper place in each of our own life’s journey. So how do we do that? I believe like most things in life, we do it day by day. My favorite B’rakhah of the Ma’Ariv service is the first B’rakhah before the Sh’Ma, which we read earlier, as it describes the miracle of each day. “Praised are You Adonai our God, who rules the universe, Your word bringing the evening dusk. You open with wisdom the gates of dawn, design the day with wondrous skill, set the succession of seasons, and arrange the stars in the sky according to Your will. Adonai Tz’va-ot, You create day and night, rolling light away from darkness and darkness away from light. Eternal God, Your sovereignty shall embrace us forever. Praised are You Adonai, for each evening’s dusk.” I was reminded of that B’rakhah the day of that last snowstorm in February. The day began with heavy snow fall. I marveled at the size of the flakes, how fast it was coming down and just the overall beauty, even though I knew I had a big shoveling job ahead. At the end of the day, I went out to get the mail and was witness to one of the most beautiful sunsets of the winter. With the clouds in the western sky now broken, the sun’s rays pierced the sky creating a wonderful kaleidoscope of color reflecting against the clouds. I just stood there, taking it all in, reviewing what I did during the day and thinking how lucky I was to experience that day. May we all find beauty and experience peace in each day of our life’s journey. L ‘Shalom Steven
Pictures on page 14 are screenshots taken during the Men’s Club Night of Recognition held on March 20, 2021. Pictured: top left, co-Youths of the year Geoffrey Gitles and Brandon Wagner with Eric Golberg, CBS Director of Youth and Young Family Engagement; top right, 2021 Kavod Award Winner Dr. David Hakimian with his parents, CBS members Fred and Fern Hakimian and children; bottom left, 2021 CBS Men’s Club FJMC Midwest Region Man of the Year Award Winner Scott Rogoff with his wife Leslie and Steven Elisco, CBS Men’s Club President; bottom right, several of the award winners with Cantor Steven and Susan Stoehr.
