Central Coherence

A concept I learned at yesterday's Speech and Language conference resonates glorious clanging symbols with a delightful visit in the midst of the conference. Yes, my dear and deep friends Molly Ann and Henry (scroll through older posts and olderer posts here on the blog, and you'll see two stories and pictures of these treasurefriends of mine) came all the way to the luxurious hotel where the conference took place, just to sit cozily in the lovely hotel lobby's easy chairs, and visit ...........me! Their very presence lent continuity to my self-image. The Nomi they were visiting is the Nomi of Hamilton and of childhood and of wonder and of enthusiasm and of creative, trusting youth. I am a lucky "Oleh", newcomer to Israel. I am connected to wonderful family, even happened upon a grandnephew of my Zaidie on the train. (This often happens. This time it was Yoav, Zaidie's brother Shimon's grandson, Yossi Wolbromski's redheaded son). I am connected in ancient mythic ways with this land, and also in recent historic ways with cousins of Mommy, grandchildren of Daddy's father's halfbrothers (yes, two new Enkin babies were recently born in Israel). And still, there is a disconnect, as people meet me at almost-sixty, with a Canadian accent and too much please and thankyou, not enough directness, not enough hot pepper. They see me now, and have no child to connect me to, no continuity. Thank goodness for Molly Ann and Henry, who know who I can be, and who I will be, who believe in me and remind me, over and over again, that deep down and entirely, I believe in myself.