December 2010 - Allegheny West Magazine

PERSONALPerspective“True greatness knows gentleness.”UnknownByErma DoddNorth Fayette TownshipresidentIt was an unforgettablegift……Christmas. Busiest time foreveryone. Yet, my future daughter-in-lawasked when I could “Go for lunch.”What? I am thinking, “I will see youChristmas Eve and Christmas Day. Whydo you want to meet for lunch? I don’thave time, but if that is what Mimi wantsto do…”“How about Thursday, 1:00, where?”It is all arranged. I have thoughts ofcanceling, rescheduling, but I go.There is Mimi, waiting. She is notdressed for lunch, that’s strange. Then I seeher, my very dear and a very best friend,Naomi Ruschell. It had been years sincewe had seen each other. Hugs.Mimi handed me a gift card for therestaurant and said, “Enjoy. MerryChristmas!” She left two friends excited tosee one another.We laughed and talked, laughed andcried. Two hours flew by and we topped itwith dessert.As we hugged and said “Good Bye,” shewent to her car, I headed to my car. Irealized I felt so so happy. I felt like I wasabout 30 years old again. Our friendshipbegan at age 18. Our babies, Dennis andNatalie, were born one day apart. Thesetwo hours were wonderful and took meback in time.I stopped and said, “you aren’t 30.Reality, you are___.” But I liked feeling30-35.And that’s the age I’ve decided I am. I justlive in an older body.Much like this next story.He gave her the first kiss. She was in 7 thgrade, 12 years old. It was his first kiss,too.They dated off and on through juniorand senior high school. After graduation,they lost touch as each pursued careers.He attended a class reunion. A classmatesuggested he e-mail her.He did. Then the phone calls. Timepassed. They agreed to meet in Oakdale.She flew in, spent a week. He came to seeher every day. They jumped on hismotorcycle and off they would go. He hasmade several CD’s. She admits she fallsasleep every night listening to his music.Truly, love rekindled.When I heard their story, and saw theirjoy in being together, I asked, “I knowabout how old you are. But how old doyou feel?”Without hesitation, he quicklyanswered, “Sixteen.”She answered, “we feel like teenagers.”How old do you think they are?Clue to these romantics’ age is the lastline of this story.Stop and think. You know how old yourbody is, but how old does the ‘you’ feelinside you ?One friend answered, “a teenager, I don’tever want to grow up.” Others say in theirtwenties, thirties.. some have no idea,never thought about it. What is youranswer? Write it, tell it, enjoy it.Clue: First kiss was age 12 in 1948.Thanksgiving and WA’s Food Pantryhelped 178 area families.“For the fourth year now, an anonymousman donated 160 turkeys. Anotherman donated 10 more,” says GeriHermann, always amazed at such timelygenerosity. Geri had just gotten a callfrom a church. She was on her way todeliver food to a family of four in need.Her passion shows. Forget all the badnews for this minute anyway.Geri says, “See the good. There is somuch good.”Forgot to ask, “Where did the othereight turkeys come from, Geri?”What really matters is, they came andwent.Erma Dodd has launched a Web site,www.ermajournals.com. Soon readers will beable to find Erma’s articles on the site. Log onto ermajournals.com.“Tis the Season” and also the theme forthe WA High School Christmas ChorusConcert on December 23. The vicepresident and her committee are in chargeof decorating the new auditorium. Lauraasked for suggestions.Kelsey Powell answered, “Make it fun.”Fun. Toys, gifts. So, the 300+ chorusmembers will be bringing toys, new orgently used, from their homes and heartsto adorn the stage for the concert. Andthen the decorations, their toys, will go tothe Salvation Army early on ChristmasEve to decorate awaiting little hearts.Fun, Christmas-style.Saint Anthony, Italy, 1195-1231. PatronSaint of elderly people, travelers, lost articles,etc.Imagine driving down Penn Avenue,Pittsburgh, and seeing in your rear viewmirror, Saint Anthony chasing you. Hislong brown robe, his unique hair style,and he is running as fast as he can in hissandals, waving his arms, hollering.The elderly travelers finally stopped theircar. They were lost. And they weretraveling in the wrong direction on theone-way Penn Avenue.Being of the Jewish faith, this 75-yearoldcouple did not recognize this person,Saint Anthony.It was, however, October 30, and thisSaint was in Halloween mode, enroute tohear a favorite band and meet friends onPenn Avenue.He saw the car going the wrong wayand did his saintly best to prevent apossible accident, tragedy, or policeintervention.So, instead of appearing before a judgefor this driving error, the judge appearedbehind them in their rear view mirror,chasing them to safety.Our own Judge Anthony Saveikis,District Magistrate, adorned as SaintAnthony, was getting a work out, apartfrom Amic’s gym, in sandals, running aJewish couple down on Penn Avenue.70 Allegheny West Magazine December 2010