Welcome Home!

I was thrilled and overjoyed to welcome home my bechor, my eldest child, Yitzy, from his seven month stay in Israel. Alas, I had to do so over the phone because I was called for jury duty.

He expressed to me his love of the land, his yeshiva, how glad he was to be home. Oh yeah, as an after thought, he mentioned the earring.

Like sitting in a jury holding cell wasn't enough to set me on edge! An earring!? No way, I told him. Take it out. In my house, you don't have an earring in your ear. Tzitzits yes. Earring, no.

When I finally got home at 5:30 pm, there was no Yitzy. He was off to see Bubbie and his cousins. During that time, his cousins convinced him to remove the earring for the good of family-kind. The Who T-shirt was fine (better than Rolling Stones, which, if you pardon me, their music I never cared for), along with the air-brushed draw string pants. Next up, a haircut, pack on the lost pounds, and my boy is good to go.

Welcome home, Yitzy. You don't need accouterments to make yourself unique. You're my one-of-a-kind son and I love you dearly.