A Message From Our Executive Director
Winter 2013/14 seemed to last forever. Every time we thought the last storm hit, another one followed. We all prayed for spring and especially summer. With August upon us, are we already gearing up for fall and then winter again?
We need to make the most out of the summer weeks still ahead of us. I am fortunate as my daughter will be back in town on August 1st, and we are both already coming up with a bucket list of Cleveland events and venues that we want to see. We need to get to the Cleveland Museum of Art, MOCA, the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and the West Side Market. Plus, we want to get to the Village of Yellow Springs, a culturally diverse community that refers to itself as Ohio’s Hippy Enclave. Codie will feel right at home!
For The Mighty Hercules Higer, our ferocious 7 lb. Yorkshire terrier, we’ll be visiting many of the surrounding dog parks, especially those in South Euclid and Twinsburg.
Really, it’s all about spending time as a family. Because Codie and I will both be working, it’s necessary for us to set aside specific family time. For some, this will be something to do daily. For us, we’ll try to carve out many afternoon and evening slots.
While Codie is a “go with the flow” girl, I am a planner and, with limited time, I will recommend making sure that we schedule the activities that we want to do. We have a very long list, so we’ll make sure that we know where we are going in advance.
Activities don’t always need to be costly or even out of the house. On a rainy day, we may choose to spend a chunk of time just watching movies or beginning to watch “Orange is the New Black.” And while I am not crafty, Codie is, so doing art projects together for her new apartment will be interesting! It’s all about being together.
We have both been very careful this summer watching our calories and working out. With the Cleveland Metro Parks all around us, a hike or a few will certainly be in order.
And with Codie moving into her apartment, it will be necessary and fun for us to cook together so that she can continue to learn some basic recipes. She’s already showing a lot of promise and is much more creative in the kitchen than me. Baking will be a challenge as neither of us has come to terms that all recipes do not actually need a stick or two of real butter!
So, while this week’s Torah portion, Devarim, talks about not repeating our parents’ mistakes, I hope that I am showing her the value and appreciation of spending time as a family.
Both Codie and I look forward to seeing you and your family at the All-Temple Picnic on Sunday, August 24th from 12-3 pm at TEE. The committee has been working for several months on activities for individuals and families. Please RSVP your family count to me at rhiger@teecleve.org. Also, if you can give of your time by volunteering the day of the picnic, please let me know.
Here’s to the dog days of summer!!!
Renee Higer
Executive Director