ROBY'S YAHRTZEIT DECEMBER 18, 2011

It's coming up in a couple of days. Roby's been gone for one year. Bernice told me everyone will be lighting a yahrtzeit candle, the Jewish tradition to honor the memory of a loved one, in this case, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and uncle. My dear Uncle Roby or Bob as Bernice and friends called him - he told me he liked it that I called him Roby. When Bernice was in the hospital, he and I talked on the phone almost every night. Once he said, "Carol, I have something to tell you." "What ?" I asked......"I love you" was the reply. I'll never forget it.

Bernice, Ellen, Jeff, Amber, Julian and I will be lighting our candles at sunset, December 17th. As we approach the shortest day of the year, we will be adding a lot of light and Roby will know that he is sorely missed and remembered by all who loved him. Some of us will also light a candle on the Hebrew date, 11 Tevet ((January 6th) on the Jewish calendar.

Roby passed away on Shabbat. I asked a rabbi if there was any special significance in Judaism regarding passing away on Shabbat. This is what he said: "Because Shabbos is generally referred to as a day of 'Chessed - kindness - passing away on Shabbos is understood as a sign that the soul's leaving this world is an expression of G-d's kindness, as opposed to the rest of the week where it may be due to G-d's judgement."

"It tells us something about the quality of the person who passed away."

I think that says it all.