April 28, 2018 THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND

Met up with my best friend from grammar school today. Haven't seen her in 11 years. Back in the day--we were thick as thieves--attached at the hip--so they say. She's one of the few who knew me when....... Life wasn't easy for either of us. Both products of divorce--living with mother's who were TOO busy working-- trying to make ends meet--to have time for us. I had to come home from school every day to watch my sibling--make dinner--do laundry. A little mother. She was the youngest, often home alone because her mom worked crazy hours. Life definitely threw us SEVERAL curve balls-- somehow we survived. We've come a LONG way from free hot lunch tickets--that's for sure. Our friendship has ebbed and flowed over the years--sometimes due to circumstances beyond our control--and sometimes-- just because we were young and dumb. Seeing her today reminded me yet again that the older I get--the more I enjoy being with OLD friends. They are lights that sometimes dim but can never be fully extinguished. The connection runs too deep.

 If the main characters in Eshkol Nevo's novel Three Floors Up felt more connected to each other than perhaps they would have made better choices in life.  Set in Tel Aviv in an apartment building, Aron, Hani, and Devora, the three narrators face struggles that change their lives in unexpected ways. Aron lives on the first floor with his wife and children. His marriage is in serious trouble after he becomes obsessed with the safety of his youngest daughter and almost kills his neighbor.  Meanwhile on the second floor, Hani is at her wits end caring for her children alone while her husband travels around the world for business. After her brother-in-law comes begging for her to hide him from the authorities, loneliness causes her to risk the safety of her family. Devora lives on the third floor. She is a retired judge whose husband has recently died. Even more painful though is her estrangement  from her only son. How will she make her life meaningful again? These three stories are not only a window into Israeli society, but also a window into the souls of men, women, friendship, love, betrayal--the warts and flaws of the human condition. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend. It's about 300 pages or a 3 mile run that will stay with you for a long time.