SO many details! SO much backstory! And all to make a point you could have made with just a few words. 
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From wife of israeli friends on WhatsApp this morning:
We are OK. Going to the shelter in our house when needed. Very hard time . . . .
Call from husband a few minutes later. He said they are all fine (children and grandchildren all living on their land in a moshav a few k from Bet Shemesh) and they will see me next week. They are scheduled to land at JFK next Saturday for daughter and fianceās wedding on 11/11, with a long car trip for several weeks before. But he always downplays the risk. He said that the worst part is the kidnapping of Israelis which will make this very difficult to come to a ceasefire.
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
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Relentless depressing news.
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āAt the end of the day people wonāt remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.ā
Maya Angelou
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This morning I started worrying that the younger (30-something) men in my Israeli friendsā immediate family may be called to active duty. I didnāt hear from them until this afternoon when the patriarch of the family finally called again. No army for son or son-in-law and he and matriarch will get here as soon as they can, maybe after 10/14 as currently planned since many flights were canceled or rescheduled.
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Message posted online by a member of my Hās family about her friend, with whom she served in the Israeli army, who was killed in the Israeli Attack:
" <friendās name> I see the news and I donāt believe it.
You are the Iron Man, a perfect example.
I was honored to be your confidant, and I was honored to receive your orange and fight alongside you. Thank you for protecting us in your body. Now, and at the Eitan cliff.
My heart goes out to your family and friends, I have no words to comfort.
Lack is a great loss to our nation.
Thank you for your giving, and thank you for your incredible sacrifice.
You are forever in my memory, and forever in my heart.
My heart is aching and brokenā¦ "
Knee replacement is scheduled for later this month and this week I am suddenly I am pain free, for the first time in over a decade, even after playing 3 rounds of golf on hilly courses over the weekend. Results of PT? Antibiotics Iām taking? A guardian angel statue given to me by a nun?
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In times like this, it is reassuring that the helpers Mr. Rogers always said to look out for in crisis are there, helping.
If you donāt live in Israel or consume Israeli media, you donāt know who Yair Golan is. He is a 61-year-old retired Major General in the Israel army and a former parliament MP. Spend a minute to read this story.
Yesterday, when IDF and the police were in complete chaos, Golan put on his old uniform, took his weapon, and drove into the war zone multiple times to rescue civilians under fire. He rescued two young adults hiding under a bush after 260 of their friends were murdered at an outdoor party. He answered a call from a journalist that his son was hiding under fire and simply said, āGive me his location, and I will bring him back home.ā An hour later, the son called his father from Golanās car.
Golan collected a small crew and went in and out of the war zone, rescuing dozens of people while exchanging fire with Hamas terrorists. He is 61, he could have stayed home, but he chose to risk his life for people he does not know.
Golan is one of the strongest voices from the Israeli left and was constantly attacked by the right wing in Israel. But when the time came, he was first fighting the barbaric attack. The same brain wiring that supports peace, is often the same wiring that drives people to do the right thing.
A true hero.
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United -
It seems pretty obvious to meā¦ you canceled our flight from within the EU to the US, because of mechanical difficulty. We had to spend the night and get on another United flight the next day. Seems to me you owe us money. Why has it taken 3 weeks, and may be another week or longer. Maybe I misunderstood the rules, but it shouldnāt take this long.
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I mean, you have to laugh.
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Dad, I put you on an information diet before we went overseas because Iām tired of your snooping, stalking, and your insistence on a detailed itinerary, despite my requests that you stop this behavior. āBut I enjoy following your travels!ā you said. So instead you got a heavily redacted version of our recent trip, not that you realized that.
This weekend, I didnāt tell you my hotel info or my return flight, yet you changed my hotel reservation to your name and paid the bill, and called me two minutes after my plane landed. Youāve called twice today because I didnāt return your call while I was still sitting on the tarmac. last night. Iām not rewarding this behavior with a phone call.
You donāt get to control the behavior of competent adults. You donāt get to trample boundaries. You donāt get to interrogate siblings about what the others are doing. Everyone has always grumbled and complied (including me), but no more.
You donāt get to know about my life any longer.
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My brother passed last week and you all knew and none of you can say youāre sorry.
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Why, why, why, when I send a 
emoji on my phone to a friend does the recipient receive a question mark???
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This made me smileā¦
Younger S got his flu shot today. First time in new (New England area) city and far away from small town Southern city. He texted us: The woman who did my flu shot said āYou must not be from around here, youāre too polite!ā He always did have good manners.
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Itās World Mental Health Day.
Please take time to do something to support your mental and physical health today.
Itās important. You matter.
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So close to closing on this house, now we have a leak to fix. Luckily I think we can do it ourselves. I just want to be done and out!
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I guess I must be getting smarter, because Jeopardy has been pretty darn easy lately.
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Today was the six year anniversary of our little Blenheim Cavalier King Charles death. Her birth name was āDangerously in Loveā, which is very appropriate, and her nickname was āthe Honey Badgerā because she never gave up, and well, she didnāt give a ā¦. if you know the meme. I miss that little doggie (and her sister) every single day.
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I am generally a very positive person. To a fault perhaps. But there are times - like now - that I feel so, so disturbed about the world that kids and young adults and 30-somethings have seen in their lifetime. Sure, there has always been war and protest and inequality. But the # of major disturbing events they have had to read/see/experience in their lifetime makes me so, so upset. Such disregard for human lives and emotion. Lack of empathy. Humans against other humans to such high degree.
I donāt know, this is a very deep hole our world seems to have dug. 
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If you knew the whole story you wouldnāt be so smug.