From The JN Family

"She always told me to be a mentsh and 'Quit slouching
for God's sake!' She still does:'

— Harry Kirsbaum, JN Contributing Writer

Barbara and her late mother, Minnie

Gansar Naidoff in 1972

"When I was about 10, my mom taught
me when to use 'I' and when to use 'me'
in a sentence with two or more people. It's
easy — just take the other person out and
it's clear whether you need 'I' or 'me.' For
example, `Joe and I went out for dinner' —
take Joe out of the picture and you have 'I
went out for dinner: which is correct. But
`Rachel invited Joe and I for dinner' makes
no sense when you take Joe out of the pic-
ture: 'Rachel invited I for dinner'? So you
know it has to be 'Rachel invited Joe and
me for dinner: I am continually amazed at
how many highly educated and intelligent
people routinely say 'someone and I' even
when that's wrong — because it's such
an easy lesson to learn! As a writer I say,
`Thank you, Mom!"'

Miriam "Mimi" Guten assists daughter Keri
Guten Cohen on her wedding day.

"One of my mom's favorite sayings is 'Actions speak louder than words: This was
uttered after my sister, brother and I said we were sorry for something we'd done for
the umpteenth time. Though our apologies may have been sincere, Mom wanted our
actions to make good on the apology. Sometimes they did; often they didn't. Now I
smile when I hear my husband say the something similar to our daughters. Another
piece of advice was not something my mom said outright — she lived it. A child
prodigy on the piano, she still plays professionally at 85. She taught me to follow my
passion just as she has. My Grandma Esther of blessed memory had a piece of advice I
have adopted from adolescence. When someone teased or bothered me, she would say,
`Consider the source: That one has let me blow off a lot of unnecessary defensiveness,
and I've passed it on to my daughters!'

— Keri Guten Cohen, JN Story Development Editor

"My mother was way ahead of the curve when it came to nutrition. She was buying
kefir back in the '60s and made our PB&Js on whole wheat or rye. (I got strange looks
at the lunch table.) So much of what she preached is today's gold standard of nutrition.
Among her health instructions: Sugar is poison. Avoid processed foods. Nurse your
babies. White bread is 'flannel bread; devoid of nutrition. Read the labels; if you can't
pronounce it, don't eat it. Eat from the color wheel (in other words if your plate consists
of naturally colorful food, you're getting a good range of nutrients.) Moderation is the
key; even water can kill you if you drink too much. Eat the crusts of the bread; all that
chewing brings blood to your gums and will keep them healthy and in your head. Don't
believe the commercials; they're just trying to get you to buy junk. Come to the table
with clean hands. Say Motzi."

— Debra Darvick, Red Thread columnist

Debra Darvick and her late mother,

Dorothea Bourke.

— Barbara Lewis, JN Contributing Writer

Lynne Konstantin and mom, Miriam

Konstantin, of Oak Park

Louis Finkelman, with his mother, Rose
Finkelman, nee Lang, about 60 years
ago

Rabbi Jason Miller, Bobbie Miller and
Dr. Jacob Miller

"My mother, Bobbie Miller of West
Bloomfield, has imparted much practi-
cal business wisdom to me throughout
my lifetime. As a residential real estate
broker, she taught me through her actions
how important it is to educate clients so
they can make informed decisions. She
has always gone above-and-beyond for
families who are new to Metro Detroit,
often inviting them to our family's holiday
meals. For decades, she's modeled her
business acumen and warm hospitality for
me, and both have served as benchmarks
in my own career:'

— Rabbi Jason Miller,
JN Contributing Writer

"My mother used to say: 'Nearly every-
one, all around the world, wants the same
things. People want to make a living in
peace and raise their families; they want
their children to have better lives than
they have. Political leaders try to get us to
hate each other and go off to war, which
works out for the political leaders, but not
for the little people. Go around the world
and meet people; or stay here and meet
people from around the world, and you
will see. Ordinary people want the same
things"

— Louis Finkelman, JN freelance writer

Steve's late mother, Beatrice Stein, with
three of her six grandchildren: Eric Stein
in front, Marc Meyer and Melissa Meyer
in back.

"It was something my grandmother (my
mother's mother) often said and my mom
repeated: 'Driving is a full-time job:"

"My mom gave me my love of books. She's
always been a voracious reader, and when
I was growing up, she had a gift for find-
ing the perfect books for me to read — or
maybe it was that I always seemed to love
the books that she loved. Books became
my best friends, especially when I was a
child. And through the choices she helped
me make, on many intricate levels, she
tweaked my character and interests into
many of my favorite parts of who I am:'

— Lynne Konstantin,
JN Arts and Life Editor

— Steve Stein, JN sports columnist

"Value newspapers and magazines but question
the content:'

— Suzanne Chessler, JN Contributing writer

From JN Staff on page 16

May 7 • 2015

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