Quiet at the end of a very full day

Church this morning.

I was really glad to be there... a quiet somber service...

***

We got a new water heater!

yay for hot water! Dishes, dishwasher, washing machine, 

all so easy to do and run again!

***

Then I saw that for hours our AC was not keeping up.

So we emptied the pantry as much as we had to

so that the AC can be topped up again,

so that we don't have leaking later...

been there/done that.

Mr Husband the Valiant helped.

***

Tomorrow I go to NYC.

Friday I go to neighbouring town to get my

eyes checked for prescription; it is going to take time

to see if I should have cataract surgery soon or in a year or so.

I don't think I will be able to wait more than that,

from what I am observing in my vision fluctuations,

but it could be a lot worse. 

***

I am so excited to have the fast over and to have 

some fun food tomorrow.

I am hoping to find an inexpensive ice cream cone in NYC 

for a fun treat!

I got some new tank tops a while ago in NYC 

and I am so grateful for them!

It's been so hot! 

I have a nice (and cool) white shrug that goes perfectly with

the tank tops and makes being out and about much more comfortable.

***

I wanted to write about my time at the eye doctor on Monday.

A lot of Orthodox Jewish people go there and there was a lady

there whose skin was so clear and young looking, 

though I think she was about 40 and had a past the knee black skirt,

a tan puffy shirt with black belt, 

cute black mary jane like shoes with gold trim,

a small purse with a perfect strap and a black small plastic bag,

which she had a track phone in that she received a lot of calls in,

talking, I believe, in Yiddish.

I am pretty sure her nice brown hair with an interesting ribbon with black cloth 

pleated behind it, was actually a wig, as married Orthodox Jewish women

cover their actual hair, and often by wearing a wig...

(I learned that when I went with my Husband to an Orthodox Jewish wedding

last year or so, that was lovely and memorable)...

In her purse was a very used prayer book (for lack of better word

since I don't know what it was other than in Hebrew,

reading the pages in the opposite way one reads English)

and when she read those prayers, she was so deeply into the prayer,

that her whole body swayed but she was, in my observation,

doing something not only very normal but without affectation or wish

to draw attention to herself; just very natural and beautiful in a quiet way.

I was reading, again, L' Engle's  The Young Unicorns and in seeing that women pray,

I could understand L' Engle's appreciation of the Jewish faith, 

when practiced like this....

Lots of the other ones there were also Jewish and it was peaceful,

just knowing that they were conservative and aware of that which is beyond themselves,

in both community and practice.

At the same time, there were two women, middle aged, with loose

tank tops like shirts talking animatedly to each other in Spanish

and on the other side of the room, two people from India talking in their language,

and then others talking English...

another one was, I think, a Mother with a grown Son who traveled a good ways to

see the doctor and who were kind...

That is something I love about NYC, the mix of cultures, languages.

I like that eye doctor's office, always a nice good mixture of people,

who all seem kind, aware of others and peaceful. 

It is nice to see, even in NYC, that there are quiet people there and 

peaceful pockets.

***

Well, I did want to write about that, so I will remember it better,

God willing, later on.

There is always peace and places of peace if one is willing to look.

I must remember this....