LETTER TO THE EDITOR
MY MISHPACHA MISHPACHA
EDITOR’S LETTER / ISSUE 691
I’m writing within moments of opening this week’s Family First and seeing Bassi’s letter about Saadya. How Saadya would have loved seeing his smiling picture at the top of the very first page of Mishpacha magazine. (He was not averse to seeing his name in print as I recorded and shared his triumphs as he forged ahead, defying all expectations.) With Saadya’s huge smile and warm words, he addressed the needs of everyone around him. Now, he is surely sitting next to the Kisei Hakavod where he belongs.
Yes, I stood witness and recorded his achievements. But words have power only when they are shared. Mishpacha magazine facilitated that ultimate and necessary component. In fact, you encourage and prodded. Behind every good writer is a great editor, like the coach of a basketball team. Behind a good player throwing great baskets, there’s an astute and skillful coach, whispering in his ear. You encouraged me to share. “It’s so poignant, so real,” you said, Bassi, when I hesitated describing Saadi coming up to me at my husband’s levaya, saying, “Ma, some guy just cut my new suit.” Saadya’s Mishpacha family gave wings to his deeds, giving them a dimension of even greater breadth.
During the Shivah I received a call from someone I didn’t know. The mother of a ten-year-old boy with Down syndrome, she called as the representative of a group of one hundred mothers of special children. She assured me that reading of Saadya’s challenges and triumphs, following his journey, was a source of great chizuk to her and the other mothers. She thanked me for sharing his journey and expressed the collective grief they all felt at his petirah. Saadya is surely sharing the zechuyos he’d earned with his Mishpacha family.
Thank you for your words of nechamah as well as a lifetime of great joy for Saadya as he waited with each issue to see if he had been featured. Hatzlachah and brachah as you continue to encourage and share words that give chizuk and strength to all of Klal Yisrael.
B’ahavah,
Ahava Ehrenpreis