Happy Birthday, Bubby, z"l, a"h

My daughter loves getting new books every month from PJ Library.  We read them together all the time (ALL the time) and I love reading them to her while she snuggles up next to me.  We recently got one called "The Friday Nights of Nana", which is about a young girl, maybe 10, who goes to her grandmother for Shabbat, and it's all about how they prepare for Shabbat together on Friday and then the whole family comes for shabbat.  It's written a little strangely, and at first I didn't love it, but I read it to my daughter anyways because she likes it and I love when she snuggles up against me while I read to her.  I started thinking about it more and so much of this short book reminds me of me and my bubby.  I don't remember actually going to my grandparents for a shabbat, but I know I did because I remember helping my bubby set up the kiddush for her shul.  (I guess it runs in the family :) ).  I do remember going to my bubby's apt at 215 W. 78th Street - which meant nothing to me as a kid, but I could recite that perfectly every time.  I loved going to Bubby and Zaida's home.  They let me do whatever I wanted, like "washing" their fridge (making more of a mess than actually cleaning anything), and watching tv past my bedtime, and cheating at rummy.  Bubby had a box of jewelry just for me to play with.  My box was red.  My sister's was white.  And she had skirts in her closet that we would just go and take and put on.  

I have so many favorite memories of my Bubby and Zaida, it's hard to say only one is my favorite.  But I think the funniest one is one time, while I was visiting, I had to go to the bathroom really badly, but my Zaida was in the shower.  I told Bubby I couldn't wait.  She told me to wait one minute and went into her pantry in the kitchen.  After moving things around, she showed me there in her giant pantry, which Moshe would call a Costco closet because of how big it was, there, in the middle, was a dirty black toilet.  I suddenly was able to wait for Zaida to be done in the real bathroom.  

The other funniest, which is more about Zaida, is that my Zaida had a fruit and vegetable store, which I guess would be a bodega.  My cousins, who are much older than I am, used to go all the time.  By the time I came along, Zaida was long since retired, so I only knew about the store from stories.  Zaida used to tell us that Babe Ruth would come and buy produce from him.  When I was little, I thought that was the coolest thing ever!  When I was a snarky teenager, I thought there's no way that's true, and he was just saying it to have a cool story for me.  But my dad pointed out that Babe Ruth probably ate fruits and vegetables, and he had to buy them somewhere, so may as well have been my Zaida's store.  Fair point.  Fast forward to last year, when I told my aunt that story and she said no way!  It's not true.  Zaida was just teasing me.  But then my cousin said it was definitely true.  Because why not?  The funny part about this was my aunt and cousin arguing about it.  It was one of those you had to be there moments.  And I was.  And it was pretty darn funny.

Thinking back as a parent, on everything my Bubby and Zaida let me do, breaking all my parents' rules, doing whatever I wanted, my own parents must've been so super frustrated.  I know because I get frustrated when my parents don't follow my rules for my kids.  But I know my kids are going to have the best day with my parents just like I had with my Bubby and Zaida.

Happy Birthday Bubby!