Weight Watching with Mommy

(by Barbara Lippert)

At my mother’s funeral this past summer, the rabbi from the nursing home where she had died at 93 spoke about how much he enjoyed her quick wit and feisty sense of humor. He said that every Friday night, he’d visit all the guests in their rooms to share a Sabbath blessing and offer a piece of challah. The bread, still warm from the oven, was a welcome treat for most. But Lenore, my mom, always demurred, saying, “No thanks. I’m watching my figure.”

He thought she was being a comedian. But she really wasn’t kidding.