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Devora Mason

~ Single Mom. Blogging. Jogging. And lots of Snogging.

Devora Mason

Category Archives: Uncategorized

I’m back baby!

01 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by Devora Mason in Uncategorized

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Running along singing my songA few of my friends have asked me why I haven’t written on my blog lately. I guess it’s just because my life is so busy. I know, I know, that is the worst answer ever! I can’t believe I use that line because I have always been a big promoter of the idea that if you want to do something you will find the time for it.

For example, I used to be a night runner but I just found that lately I was just too tired to run at nights. There is no way I wanted to give up running so instead of running at nights, I decided to start going to sleep early and set my alarm for 5 AM. Sometimes I might even sleep in my running clothes so that it requires minimal effort for me to get out the door in the wee morning hours.

I have been running for over two years now and although I love to run alone, I did recently start to notice that I should start pursuing an activity that is more social. I considered group sports but then I realized that I just don’t care enough. I just don’t care! I don’t want to fight someone for a ball and I don’t want to try to get that ball, puck or thingy ding into some designated hole, net or basket. I mean, really, if the other team wants it that badly…they can have it!!!

Until I found SALSA…To be continued…

Today I am boycotting God

12 Thursday May 2011

Posted by Devora Mason in Uncategorized

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Lisa Latchaw, losing a friend, olim

Lisa Latchaw A"H

My friend and colleague Lisa Latchaw A"H

Today I am boycotting God…

This is what my friend Sarah Williams said to me yesterday
when we laid to rest our good friend and colleague Lisa Latchaw in the Beit
Almin cemetery in Beit Shemesh. She was too young to go and too many people
depend on her for her not to be around. A husband and two little kids who need
her, friends, family and last, but not least, her work. Lisa was my colleague.

What does it mean to be a colleage in our company? We are made up of a motley
group of people and yet we all respect and appreciate each other so much.
Sometimes I think that our group of coworkers is representative of what society
should strive for.

I have had the pleasure of working with smart, driven, kind
wonderful people, Lisa one of them, who all had two things in common: they
worked for our company and they are Olim. They have all chosen to leave behind some
form of life to come to Israel and start a new one.

When Lisa and I were once talking she told me about how she had
worked so hard for so many years to build up the typical life for herself in
America: a house, cars, a career, marriage. And yet, when all that was
accomplished she looked around at her empire and said, “Hey! This is not what I
really want. I want to be in Israel!” They then proceeded to move to Israel and
start a life for themselves in Beit Shemesh. Lisa was so skilled and capable
that even though many Olim might find that they are struggling with the job
market here, she worked hard and was continuously promoted.

Another one of my colleagues, Dawn Richman, said that we
have a purpose on this earth and when we have fulfilled our goal we are taken
to the next world. Maybe Lisa was so skilled that she finished her project
early. I don’t know. I think I will go with Sarah on this one. I have a picket
and I am picketing.

In our company many people work remotely and come in to the
office only once or twice a month. So even though I know Lisa is gone I keep
waiting for her to walk through the door, put her bags down and come over to schmooze
with me. I was saving a Bon Apetite magazine for her because it has tons of
recipes with chocolate and I know that she loves it.

We will miss you Lisa…and God, I am not talking to you!

Running the Marathon of life

27 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by Devora Mason in Uncategorized

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Eitan Davis: one of three organ donors this weekend (picture courtesy of his family)

While I was busy running the 10K in the Jerusalem marathon this Friday and feeling utterly invinceable, 11 people were running the marathon of life when they received notice that they would be getting the organ donations they were so eagerly waiting for,  as Airel Noy put it so wisely in his online article on Walla: http://news.walla.co.il/?w=//1809580

The list of organs is extensive and were all given selflessly by three families in order to give 11 people a chance to live. Two of the donors and a third by the name of Eitan Davis died over the weekend due to unforeseen circumstances and their families helped donate their loved one’s organs so that others could go on living. The organ recipients ranging in age from 6-59 years old were given a new lease on life so that they can continue to love and be loved. The donors will continue their legacy in this world even upon their passing.

 I cannot stress enough how important I feel this move is in our country where we can help others to live. Let’s renew our lease on life and be proactive.

I am filling out my card here:

https://www.kartisadi.org.il/form.asp

I hope you will too. Once you have submitted it you will get a card in the mail that you should proceed to carry on you always.

Watch this video, it is very moving all about religious families who have chosen life even when facing death:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cfaAWTH5zM&feature=player_embedded

A dog, a jog and a blog

23 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by Devora Mason in Uncategorized

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Jogging with dogs

Jogging, blogging and dodging dogs.

Old Navy yoga pants, 50 cent on my MP3 and a bounce in my step…I decided to go for a jog. I regularly jog but this time it would be different. This time I would not complete my route because as I rounded the first corner I saw a dog. It was a mid sized dog on a leash being walked by an older man. I tensed up since it was a narrow alley-way and the dog seemed very excited: jumping and yapping. I stopped and stood on the side waiting for the dog, and its owner, to pass.

Now this is where things got messy.

The dog owner didn’t tighten the leash, the dog started growling and the owner seemed oblivious to the whole thing.  All of a sudden the dog jumped on me and sunk his incisors right into my leg, they went through my pants and right into my calf. I screamed! And once I started screaming I couldn’t stop!

Your freaking dog just bit my leg!!! He bit my leg! I am going to get #*@$^ rabies you $#@#%&^%!!! I have five children!! I am their main caregiver!! I can’t afford to be laid up because of your $%#$%$%^ dog!!!

I realized that I was yelling, as psychotic as I may have seemed. The owner was staring at me blankly and finally when he responded he started to sign to me. This was too much!!! The person walking the dog was deaf! He never heard the dog growling and, even though I couldn’t stop screaming at no one in particular, couldn’t hear me either.

I called the ambulance to treat my leg. The police came and asked if I wanted to file a complaint. They were all wonderful and although I still have teeth marks in my leg and the remnants of the bruise on my leg from the strength of the dog clamping on….I am now on the mend.

I had to miss work for a few days. I was forced to limp around. I needed to rent a car to transport my sorry ass around and my Old Navy yoga pants have four holes in them now from the dog’s teeth. Luckily the dog had all it’s shots so I only needed to get a tetanus shot (which btw, considering my hypochondria, made me think that I had lockjaw).

Now when I see a dog coming towards me I tense up which is not good for a runner like me because I am so often accompanied on my run by canines who like to be my partner for a few kilometers. I had to deal with the trauma of my children who were worried that I would be okay because they have seen me injured before and it rocked the foundation of their security.

So what’s my point?

  1. Train your freaking dogs properly!!!
  2. Pick up after their poop!
  3. Don’t walk aggressive dogs in residential neighborhoods!
  4. Buy me a new pair of yoga pants (size small)
  5. Don’t let anything stop you from running.

Returning to the basics of Purim

22 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by Devora Mason in Uncategorized

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Tags

Mishloach manot, Purim, single

Mishloach Manot

Mishloach Ma-NOT!!!!!

No one needs to impress me, dazzle me, think of me or spend time with me. I am a woman and I am alone.

This really hit home for me this week when I received 1 Mishloach Manot (kudos Last family). Truthfully, I hate the waste that comes with Purim and I dislike the high-school level popularity contest that it represents. When i used to be in the state of coupledom I would receive so many Mishloach Manot that our table was filled to overflowing. And yet, I am content with my status quo.

I came to the realization that i have good friends who may not live close to where I live but are always there for me, I have family whom I love and kids who are the best company.  We had a good time with costumes and delivering Mishloach Manot to the kid’s friends. I felt relieved to make it through Purim without too much financial or emotional strain and my parents shared my seudah with me. I have returned to the basics of Purim.

Now who else can say the same?

Remembering David

16 Friday Jul 2010

Posted by Devora Mason in Uncategorized

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David Rosenzweig, dealing with loss, hate crime, mourning, My Uncle David, survivors, Toronto

Rose

Mourning the Loss

I wanted to share this with you all if you don’t mind.

Today is the 8th Yahrtzeit (anniversary of his death) of my Uncle, David Rosenzweig, who was stabbed and killed down the street from where I lived in Toronto, while waiting with his son for a tow truck.

He was an amazing man in so many ways. He was kind, thoughtful, generous, and honest in business and a truly proud Jew. His parents who were Holocaust survivors always took pride in his achievements and yet he somehow always had time for them, for his kids his wife and for all of us. They would never have thought that they would lose another close relative, a son, to a hate crime after leaving the shores of Europe for Canada. His wife, Chavi,  is an amazing woman who to this day continues to deal with her loss in a super human way.

I remember his sudden and senseless death every year, especially since this private mourning also takes place during “the three weeks”, a time of collective mourning for the Jewish people.

Moses was born and died on the same Jewish day. This is indicative of his righteous character. We should not only be saddened by our loss on the date of his death but we should also be reminded to celebrate his birth and how valuable his contribution to the world was. So too, my Uncle David, was born and killed on the same Hebrew day. He was one of the righteous among us.

May his soul be elevated and may he be a pleader for good for the entire Jewish people and let us all strive never to take for granted how lucky we are to be in our land, the Land of Israel, living proudly as Jews.

Shabbat Shalom.

Just some articles and comments for those of you who aren’t familiar with his murder.

http://www.jewishtoronto.com/page.aspx?id=80675

http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/1359

http://www.jewishpress.com/printArticle.cfm?contentid=14084

Coffee, newspapers and lots of kindness

13 Thursday May 2010

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Avrum Rosensweig, chesed, coffee, filling a void, Jerusalem, Jewish Mobile Response

So, here’s the deal.

I was downtown. When I finished with my errands, I headed down to Jaffa street to wait for the 13 bus. At that point, I hadn’t yet had my morning coffee and I was very hungry. I couldn’t help but wonder to myself how some people live on a regular basis without knowing where their next meal will come from. The thought passed through my mind and as quickly as it came, it left.

By the bus stop a  man was giving out the “Jerusalem Hayom” newspaper. People seemed to know him and would stop to chat with him and pat him on the back as they passed. One bus-driver even slowed down and opened his doors. I watched with curiosity and intrigue as the man folded up one of his newspapers and threw it 10 meters, right through the door of the bus, landing in the bus driver’s lap. They gave each other a smile and thumbs up and the bus continued on.

Suddenly, I noticed a woman coming across the street with a cup of coffee in her hands. She hands it to the man and wishes him a good day. The happiness from this single cup of coffee showed on the man’s face. What an amazing act of kindness she did by remembering someone less fortunate than her. This aroused something deep inside me. I was inspired!

It was there that the beginning part of my day made sense to me. My downtown visit has started with me walking down Ben-Yehuda. It was still early and most of the stores hadn’t opened yet. In the centre of Jerusalem, even early in the morning, there is always activity. I enjoy that feeling of the fresh morning air that has settled over the streets, not yet polluted by the soon approaching traffic. And that little bit of mist in the air, which is a leftover from the dew.

Many people are in a hurry to get where they are going and very few have a chance to slow down and take a look around them. That day, I was not rushed and I was enjoying just strolling and looking around me. Unfortunately, I had left the house without eating, and I was starting to feel hungry. No matter. I would wait until I finished my errands and would eat when I got back home. The fact that I was a little hungry and I was not pressured to get anywhere that day I feel somehow contributed to what happened next.

I noticed the people around me who were homeless or struggling and looking for a handout or kind word from the people passing by. It pained me greatly to see a person lying on the floor, without anyone to lift him up and to comfort him. I have great respect for the music street players, who play with enthusiasm in order to earn some money for their lunch or dinner. There are many other people who are just sitting around. Maybe they are waiting: waiting for something to happen, waiting for the soup kitchen to open and give them something to eat or maybe they are waiting for Godot (but God knows he never comes!). I don’t know who they are or why they are there. They just are.

Especially after witnessing the act of kindness by bringing a cup of coffee to someone who was working and struggling in the heat of the day, I couldn’t help but be conscious of the fact we have a definite void in Jerusalem, a city where there are so many charitable organizations and social organizations. We may have health care. We may have soup kitchens We may have  multiple charities. But there is something still missing.

A few years ago my dear Uncle Avrum filled that void in Toronto. And I think the time has come for us to fill it here in our holy city of Jerusalem.

Avrum Rosensweig

MY Uncle Avrum

The Mobile Jewish Response to the Homeless is a way for us to reach out to the homeless and those in need without forcing them to be exposed or to leave their comfort zones. It helps us be able to connect with people on the streets, around the city and offer them food, drinks, and a comforting word.

To be continued!

Women’s fitness group in Efrat

02 Tuesday Feb 2010

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As many of you know, I had a baby in February and decided to start walking around with my baby in Efrat. I was out of shape and unable to even push the stroller up the Rachel Imeinu hill without feeling like I was going to die. Now I am training for marathons and I feel great. It only takes some hard work and perseverance to make your body feel great and look great too.

Here is what I suggest, I am starting a women’s exercise group in Efrat to motivate and support all of you on your quests to health and physical fitness. This is not Curves, I am not a dietitian, I am here to give you a fitness goal and by committing to smaller goals you will be able to build yourself up and improve your overall fitness.

The commitment is minimal compared to the importance of the goal. If you are interested in having structure and just getting out there and exercising, call me and I will explain to you how it works.

Mothers with babies and strollers are also welcome! I will have a special route/program for moms and in fact the stroller will help you to have some resistance when working out so feel free to call me and I will explain it all to you.

This is also a wonderful chance to have a social network giving you support and making sure that you keep up with your fitness goals.

I look forward to speaking with you further.

Devora Mason

What a Nightmare!

20 Tuesday Oct 2009

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Tags

money, nightmare

I just couldn’t believe how much money I owed! There was this guy who once cleaned my car, not even upholstery cleaning, just garbage removal and some exterior washing who kept chasing me to pay him 940 shekels for the job. Then there was this time I stayed in a hotel and they said they would send me the bill in the mail and the bill was totally exaggerated but I couldn’t prove it because it was a few weeks ago! And the guy at the grocery store is after me to pay 5000 shekels for the overly enormous shopping I did one time.
And then, thank the Lord, I woke up!
That’s what I get for sleeping 11.5 hours last night. Ha ha.

About Devora

Devora Mason loves to speak about herself in the third person while writing about her social life and the social issues that she encounters in Jerusalem. She is a mom, dancer, prancer, jogger, blogger and snogger who works in SaaS and is studying law.

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