Today is Dec. 25. The reason this date is significant is that it is our mother's birthday ( wasn't someone else who is well known supposedly born on this day ? ). It would have been her 90th birthday. The reason this is significant is that Henrietta loved Lenore as a composite of daughter and sister, hence today is a most appropriate time to add to this blog honoring Lenore.
I don't think I can match the eloquence and insight of my sister, however I will add some personal reflections.
As a child if someone were to ask me to give an immediate response to the name Lenore the two words that would instantly come to mind are fun and beauty. As Lenore had a crush on my father growing up ( which I didn't know until I read Sara's blog ) I had somewhat of a crush on Lenore. I remember thinking she was very beautiful but admitting such feelings were taboo, and would have made all parties involved very uncomfortable. Instead I treated Lenore as the fun cousin she was.
One of my earliest recollections was staying at my grandparents house ( I was about 4 years old ) when my mother was in the hospital giving birth to Sara. I was kind of freaked out since this was the first time I can remember being away from my parents. I remember Lenore ( who must have been about 13 ) coming to bed with me because I couldn't sleep. She invented all kinds of stories on the fly incorporating, situations I liked and was familiar with, and friends I knew. I found these stories both amusing and comforting and I must have soon fallen asleep.
I remember Rockaway beach when I was about 5. Lenore was wheeling a bicycle to the bike shop on our way to the beach. Oddly enough, for some reason I remember the bike foot brake being broken ( you were able to back peddle without stopping the bike ) and I remember it cost $2.50 to have it fixed. I thought this was a king's ransom when Lenore tried to put this cost in perspective ( an ice cream costs 10 cents ). At Rockaway Lenore was about 14. There was a young man on our porch who was in his late teens or early 20's. Lenore was trying to steal his shoes and hide them and was recruiting me to get in on the act.
When I was about 9 and Sara 5 Lenore baby sat for us with some fellow keeping her company. Sara didn't want to go to bed since Lenore was here, and in the fashion Sara mentioned in her blog, she was talking a blue streak. Finally I started pushing Sara towards the bedroom and said can't you see they want to be alone. I remember Lenore’s hysterical laughter at that comment. Her laugh was truly infectious, you couldn't help but laugh when she did. Although she was quick with a story or anecdote she also knew how to listen. She comforted when I needed comforting but additionally was a fantastic audience. When I told a funny story or put on some silly antics she would laugh from the heart ( it was no put on ).
I do remember her baby in the belly bit as told by Sara. Since she was a fun cousin I wanted to rough house with her and she did her best ( Yonkie was actually the rough houser, but when you rough housed with Yonkie there was a price to be paid ). To get me to back off, she used the baby in the belly excuse. I knew there was no baby in the belly but I did have a little doubt. This doubt did cause me to back off, and when I did, her laughter was hysterical.
I remember Lenore coming back from Israel and visiting us at our summer vacation bungalow. A bus let her off at the cross road to the bungalow colony. My mother and I were at the pool and the bus must have been audible from the pool. Now I never thought of my mother as athletic in any sense, but when she heard that bus, she took off like a rocket with me running behind her. She darted down the hill ( maybe 100 yards ) with her arms open ready to greet Lenore.
I remember seeing Lenore's art work when I was about 10 and thought it was fantastic. Now I have the artistic talent and finesse of a water buffalo, but I believe that Sara did take inspiration from Lenore’s talent and eventually did some excellent work herself.
When I entered Junior High School honors program, I remember having a very bad and frustrating first week. Coincidently Lenore started her teaching career that same week. My later understanding, was that she was having her own problems and anxieties dealing with some very unsavory kids in a very unsavory school. That weekend when our families got together at grandpa's house she took it upon herself to comfort me while dealing with her own issues.
Fast forward about 20 years to my adulthood. I came to Lenore and Bernie's house with a date (Heidi) who had Lenore's signature curly hair and in fact had a very strong resemblance to Lenore. She was standing in the front yard when Pearl arrived. Pearl starts walking towards Heidi, greeting her as her daughter. Needless to say Heidi was very puzzled and I quickly told Pearl that this was my girlfriend and Lenore was in the house.
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