SHIRLEY

Four years ago today, June 27th, Shirley passed away. According to the jewish calendar, her yahrtzeit is July 13th. Barry came out of the woodwork after four years two weeks ago. He told me he went to the cemetery and it took him an hour to find her grave. I asked when he went and he said, "Ironically I went on Father's Day." (You can't make this stuff up) That must be the second time he was there. The first time was the day of the funeral, a sweltering 90+ degree day in July, graveside service. It was so hot the air was shimmering while we huddled under umbrellas for shade. Suddenly, just like in a Sergio Leone movie, I see Barry, held up on each side by his neighbors stumbling towards us. He was totally drunk. He had to be held up. He could not walk. What a scene. Wherever she was, dead or alive, drama ensued. I had to lean against a nearby gravestone not to just faint dead away. Under extreme stress, I told the rabbi to ignore him because this day was about Shirley. He brought the drama to the funeral.

The day of the anti-Semitic incident, June 21st, I emailed Barry about it. The response I got was:
"I am drunk." Watching Bladerunner." There has been zero communication since. It is sad. Very sad. What a waste. After two rounds of Detox, two rounds of Rehab...four years ago his doctor told me if he starts drinking again, he will die. I check the Obituaries daily.

SIT-IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ANSWER THE CALL - SHAME 

This is historic. A sit-in in the House of Representatives over Gun Control. The Democrats are quoting the Bible. They are attempting to use Shame to pass a law on Backround Checks. Republicans are absent. Clearly the NRA is painfully powerful. The sit -in was initiated by Congressman John Lewis, Democrat who crossed the bridge in Selma, Al. It is so surreal. What's amazing to me is the powerful impact women in the House who come to the microphone are having. Many of them are talking about their personal experience of losing a child who was killed by a gun. It is horrible. They come across as incredibly authentic. Not corporate. To be fair, male Representatives are speaking also and some are effective. When women speak about losing children it is very powerful.

"Let's do the job America elected us to do. "  Wow !
When it's coming from the floor of the House, it's quite incredible. It's gone from Stephen Colbert to 'Reality.' (?)

Look at all the women at the sit-in ! There's Elizabeth Warren, my hero....

 This is political theater at it's finest. June 22, 2016, days after the full moon + the summer equinox, elected officials in the House of Representatives are actually doing their job. I can't believe they're not on summer vacation. I never thought I would see anything like this. Look at all the women, there's Sen. Elizabeth Warren sitting next to Rep. John Lewis.

NO FLY NO BUY
If you are on the terrorist watchlist you cannot buy a gun. The Republicans refuse to vote on that issue ! It is refreshing/heartening to see some of our fearless leaders try to enact this commonsense policy. And it is frightening to see how powerful the NRA is. Capitalism Run Amok.

ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENT 2016

21ST CENTURY ANTI-SEMITISM

This was different, unsettling, disturbing and potentially dangerous. I was picked up at Heartbreak Hill Running Shoes in Newton, less than 30 minutes from my home in Brookline. It all went downhill when the driver asked where I was going. When I said Brookline, that set him off. It was all about 'the Jews' after that.

6.21.16
Veterans Taxi Newton
RIDE I.D. #

RE: ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS BY DRIVER
To whom it may concern:

I had a Ride pickup scheduled for 3:28 pm at 638 Comm. Ave. in Newton. Specifically the location is Heartbreak Hill Running Shoes. The driver arrived early. I was thrilled.

Once inside the vehicle to go home at 1550 Beacon St., Brookline, the driver started talking about Jews. "Did I know that Jews have all the money ? Did I know that God gives money to Jews ? Did I know that Moses got the slaves out of Egypt but not the black slaves ? Are you Jewish ?"  I said yes. He asked me if I had money. I said no. I wrote my name in hebrew on a piece of paper after he said the Jews don't believe in the Bible/Torah. I wrote the whole alphabet down in hebrew. He said it was similiar to Arabic. He said, "Oh I see it's written from left to right, like Arabic. He looked at the alphabet and said, " I see a letter nun. Arabic has a letter nun."After that, he changed the subject.

I was terrified, frightened. I felt like leaving the vehicle and probably should have but we were in a residential section - how would I get home ? I sat in the vehicle hoping he wasn't going to hurt me. I asked him where he was from - he said Kenya. He said his name was CC - seesee. I don't know how to spell it.

I would say this is the worse thing that ever happened to me in Boston re. anti-semitic remarks. He was speaking in a normal tone of voice.

I am shaking. I am 65 years old.  I did not feel SAFE. I have PTSD. This was a trigger and will take awhile to shake off.

Shaken,
Carol S. Miller

 ADDENDUM: I reported this incident to the Brookline police and the ADL on July 28, 2016.

JUNE DRAMA + REDSOX

Shirley's English calendar yahrtzeit is June 27th. Her upcoming birthday is July 5th. Her Hebrew yahrtzeit is 7 Tammuz/July13th. I can feel the energy changing as we approach the Summer Solstice. And sure enough, Barry Marc Silverman has come out of the woodwork after four years of silence, i.e. estranged. Last night I got a phone call and he left a message. "I was thinking of Shirley, clutching a book she gave me by H.G. Wells and 'for some reason' I thought of you. You can choose to call me back or not. The book is Seven Novels by H.G. Wells." Well, she passed her love of science fiction on to both of us. Both of us watched Them, Day of the Triphids, and The Day the Earth Stood Still with her. Michael Rennie, the most dapper, elegant E.T. of all, dressed in silver lame....I still love it.

Barry and Michael, Chandler Hovey Park, 1980's, Marblehead, MA


On a more positive note, the Sox beat the Mariners; we are one game out from first place in the Eastern Division.