Avi Still Remembered on the Online Boards

Posted on Dec. 23, 2006 on antiURL.com:

"Alapidus was an amazing coder, he helped to revive LUE2 from hackings and adminstrational (sic) change-overs."

LUE2, which became Digital Pandemic, now seems to be defunct.
Did Avi's demise have anything to do with that?

One Year

Please click above.

Someone where I work was chatting with a customer and asked what is today's date. The 23rd was the response. One of them continued and said that nothing happened on the 23rd.

I was passing by and remarked, "I wish that were true."

BTW, if you are a relatively new reader of this blog, I suggest that you read it from the beginning. I do plan to post more pictures of Avi.

Newseek: "Dear Junk Mailers: Leave My Son Alone"

So pleads Gary Wiener, a bereaved father of a 7-year-old, in the "My Turn" section of last week's Newsweek. Please click above to read the article.

So far, there hasn't been too much mail addressed to "The Parents of Abraham Lapidus," but I suspect that will change next year.

This is Presidents' Week, the anniversary of Avi's hospitalization and death. I'm reliving last year. At this time on Wednesday of last year, Avi was already sedated a little more than seven hours away from his demise. There was a chance that he could survive, but as I told his doctors, I was "cautiously pessimistic."

Yesterday, the JAMA came out with a new study on bereavement, noting the power of yearning. I don't need the JAMA to tell me about it as I experience yearning everyday, even as I go about the normal business of life.

25 MarSh'vat - The Yahrzeit

Today was the Yahrzeit. It was a denouement from the more difficult Shabbat and Sunday, when Susie and I went to the cemetery.

In Avi's memory, I gave a Mishna lesson after morning minyan at Beth David. I taught Terumot, the last two mishnayot of chaper 8. I did not speak about Avi, because I am still unable to do so in public. It would have been as difficult as my speaking at the unveiling last September.

The Hebrew High School of New England held a memorial service today during the day, attended by Chana. Avi's classmate, Ben Perlsweig gave the eulogy. Rabbi Daniel Loew, the principal, taught Mishna and Rabbi David Jeremias chanted the memorial prayer. When I have more details, I'll post them.

The Yahrzeit Approaches

Last Tuesday afternoon at Mincha, I completed my the nearly twelve-month Kaddish obligation for Avi. Unlike the the conclusions of my Kaddish obligations for my parents, I did not feel a sense of relief. This Monday night and Tuesday will be his first yahrzeit. Now, instead of counting birthdays, we are counting yahrzeits.

It still seems as if Avi died only last week as my memories of his final days remain vivid. Yesterday was the Torah portion of Yitro, which contains the "Ten Commandments." A year ago, that was the last Torah portion that Avi was alive for and heard. He sat to my left last year, following the reading in his Exodus volume of his Miqra'ot Gedolot commentaries. I brought that volume with me to synagogue yesterday.

Susie and I sponsored yesterday's Se'udah Sheleesheet, the Third Traditional Meal of Shabbat, at the synagogue. At my suggestion, Rabbi Adler read Avi's last d'var torah, which was about Yitro. I left the room just before the rabbi began to read it, because I wanted my reactions to remain private and not distract from Avi's words. I sat in the next room, so I was able to hear that the meal attendees were moved by the devar torah.

After Shabbat, I removed the tallit that had draped Avi's pew for the past twelve months. I don't Avi next to me. Now, I won't even have the tallit.

One Fewer Chicago Bears Fan This Year

I know what Avi would have been doing now - glued to the TV set watching his favorite football team, the Chicago Bears, in the Super Bowl...and I would have been there with him.

I can hear his reactions now, from the opening Bears touchdown through all the fumbles up to Vinitieri's missed field goal to end the half.