Lucy Stands for Love and Lil

Lucy -

You already know how much love is in your life. You see it all around you - especially in your mother and father's eyes. We love you more than we thought possible, as do your Grandpa Bruces, Grandma Sher, Grandma Sandy, Aunt Meredith, Uncle Michael and Cousin Max. You are so adored!

There are two people who would have gazed at you with the same loving eyes, though you will never get the chance to meet them. Instead, you are named in their honor in order to celebrate who they were and keep their memory alive. You are forever linked!

Lucy stands for Lil. Grandma Lil, Grandma Sher's mother, was a strong dynamic New Jersey woman. She was raised in a large PA family and married Grandpa Ben after meeting him on vacation in the mountains. Grandma Lil, though far from Cleveland, always seemed right around the corner whenever I needed her (and that was before FaceTime or Skype!). She was known to be loyal, strong, into Judaism/tradition and most importantly, a believer in the importance of family. She taught me that everyone is different (I can still hear her say, "to each his own"), a lesson I consider today.

I hope these key characteristics are passed along to you. I hope you love your family as much and grow up to be just as strong. I encourage you to perceive religion as more than faith, but also as a celebration and series of traditions you can look forward to spending and building with your family, like Grandma Lil did. (Honoring Grandma Lil is the reason we keep kosher).  Oh, if you could find a partner like Grandpa Ben, I will be SO HAPPY! I'm so sorry you never met Grandma or Grandpa, but I am so grateful that just like me, you have a grandma and grandpa just a couple states away that love you more than anything in the world. NJ is further from Ohio than Chicago is, so while you will miss Grandma and Grandpa, rest assured knowing that distance is just mileage and will never keep you apart.

Hannah stands for Harold, but I'll let your father tell you all about his loving Grandpa Harold. You and I can hear stories together because I never got to meet him either.

Always remember who you are by discovering where you come from. So much of our future is dictated by our past.

I love you,
Mom