My Borrowed Bubbe

 I have a neighbor.

No.

I have a friend who lives across the street.

We've been friends for over a decade and I cannot remember when things went from neighbor to friend but it was really early on. I could write pages about our friendship. This friend is the one who picks your kid up when he's sent home from school to cool off for a couple of days after a fight. Or, I go to the hospital with this friend when her mother is in the hospital and then rehab. Somehow, in a crisis, my friend has all the paperwork organized and I have a supply of silly jokes and stories at the ready and with alot of medical professionals we get everything straightened out.

My friend's mother is also my friend. She lived far away for most of our friendship. But, into her eighth decade and after covid she moved in across the street with her daughter.

I am extremely fortunate that to have two friends as close as family that are also neighbors. Last weekend, my friend's mother threw her daughter a fancy birthday party with a many tiered fancy cake just because she hadn't thrown a party for her daughter since her daughter turned sixteen. It was super fun and I felt special being invited.

My friend's mother is my borrowed Bubbe. And,  I love that they allow that.

Maria Primachenko Fair Use from Wikiart. 

When my friend's son bar mitzvahed, their whole family reconnected with heritage and faith and allowed me to learn along with them. It was remains a special time in my life. It was about then that I began calling my friend's mother, Bubbe (Grandma in Yiddish).

Bubbe's heart is giving her trouble these days. It's not keeping up with her mind and spirit the way I'm used to. I have taken special treats of food to Bubbe for years and this past weekend she politely refused my go-to chicken soup cure-all. She's lost enough weight to make us all nervous.

I've been keeping Bubbe and her family in prayer. I cannot imagine my life or the life of my friend without my borrowed Bubbe. But, life has a way of getting me to wake up to reality in moments I'm unprepared for.

Ram Das says, We're all just walking each other home.

Bubbe has been letting me walk with her on our way home for a while now. 

School has started and summer-me has been put away until next June. I don't have as much time to zip across the street and say hello. But, I'm going to make time. When life gives you a Bubbe to borrow, you should treasure her. And, I will.