Not one single day goes by that I don’t think of, and miss, my Cousin Ted.  You see, he pierced my ears when I was sixteen. Some of the girls in my class were doing it at home themselves by having a friend hold a cut potato up to their ear and running a sewing needle through, but I didn’t feel that was safe, nor sanitary, so I asked my cousin to pierce them. He probably thought I was Crazy, but he agreed.  We set up at the kitchen table, and some of the other family members came downstairs to watch.  It was relatively painless, but I was so nervous I think I fainted.  When I came around it was over. Two perfectly pierced ears, that I still put earrings into every day.  Thank you Cousin Ted!

Cousin Ted arrived in New York City when I was just a teen. My dad, Cousin Ted’s uncle, had converted our single family home into a duplex, thereby giving our newly expanded family a place to call home.  Soon after his arrival, Cousin Ted decided to buy a brand new car, but the day he was supposed to pick it up from the dealership he decided that he was too nervous to drive it home.  He asked me, a relatively new driver myself, if I would go to the dealership to bring it home. No problem.  It was a bit larger than the car I was used to, but I was more than happy to help family!   This and other memories will stay with me forever.

Dad started jogging every day back in the 1980s. Somehow he was able to establish this as his routine until he couldn't jog anymore. Toward the end he was pushing a wheelchair around the neighborhood. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing and greeting his neighbors as he passed by.  Mom recently gave me a little tour around their neighborhood and pointed out all the homes where people have been kind and helpful to them over the years.  She may not know their names but she remembers their kindness and generosity.

Thank you so much Uncle Ted, my sister and I have survived childhood, through chicken pox and fevers because of you.  Uncle Ted's generosity will be forever be set in our minds and persona.  I still remember so vividly the smell of isopropyl alcohol in the office, the menacing Kit-Cat Clock in the waiting room, and the stethoscope around Uncle Ted's neck.  Uncle Ted had saved us from so many medical issues throughout our childhood, and has set an example of calm & resilience for the rest of our lives, and following lineage.  Thank you Uncle Ted, we'll miss you dearly!

Being the first 3 grandchildren--and close in age--Vicky, Livy, and Kyle had the opportunity to spend time with Dad after he retired.  When we were young, Dad was too busy providing for us and his parents and running his private practice to spend time with us. When I look at old pictures of Dad with those three together, I think of how he made a concerted effort to create space in his life to be with them and how much he cherished those moments. I remember Dad taking them to the Toy's R Us so each could pick out a toy, taking them to McDonald's, King Palace Restaurant (Plantation, FL) and dim sum, and attending some of their sports games.

I will always remember the day when I helped my grandfather walk to the car. He explained to me how lucky and fortunate I was. He told me a story of how he nearly died from starvation at a very young age. I gave him a hug and thanked him. He showed me exactly how lucky I was to have a loving and healthy life. Thank you grandpa for all the great memories and may you Rest In Peace.

My father was fascinated by the construction of the World Trade Center, he would take us there to watch it being built.  Pointing upwards he'd say, "Look up there. Can you see those cranes?" each and every time, until its completion. Sometimes he would even do a quick "drive-by" in his car on weekends after work just to marvel at it fleetingly at a distance. He eagerly waited for its completion. Years later, he continued to visit with his grandson Kyle (see picture below) and was always sure to take a picture with the twin towers behind them. 

I believe the construction of the World Trade Center Twin Towers began in 1966 and was completed in  1973.  Here's a site from Time Magazine with pictures you can visit.  https://time.com/4144821/world-trade-center-photos-construction/ .