UPBEAT TIMES • July 2014 • 21 WORDPLAY by Marcia Singer • lovearts@att.net BASHERT


SANTA ROSA, CA. ~ [[bah- share –t, or beh-share-t] “It’s b’shert,” said my Jewish friend, Sara, “it’s meant to be.”


This


is a familiar, popular Yiddish word –and Yiddish is a German dialect, written with Hebrew letters. I had just told my sto- ry of how I’d come to choose singing over a career in social work. I was twenty years old, a student therapist, study- ing for my Master’s degree in psychiatric social work. My fi eld work assignment was at Vacaville’s medium security prison. Word leaked out amongst the prisoners that I played guitar and sang. My supervisor brought out a guitar, encourag- ing me to overcome my perfor- mance anxiety and sing. Enamored with the rich mu- sic of Canadian singer-song- writer Joni Mitchell, I launched into “Cactus Tree.” The lyric repeats, “she’s so busy bein’ free.”


OMG --I suddenly re-


alized I was singing about freedom to seriously confi ned human beings. The room had


gotten very quiet. When I dared to look up, several of the inmates had tears in their eyes. I struggled for composure, my eyes moist, too. My supervisor announced a heartfelt thera- peutic breakthrough for the men in group –and for shy, in- troverted Marcia, as well. Was it bashert, destined, as Sara had said, that I would be- come a professional singer, not a nine-to-fi ve social worker? That a prisoner would dare me to sing?


And what about that seri- ously weird thing that hap- pened to me in early May? I’d just vacated a temporary rental


delivered here, on Hoen?!” we wondered.


Furthermore, Deb


noted, she was the only person at the SNF who could’ve gotten it to me…


tery.


It remains an unsolved mys- But was it bashert? Was


it meant –fated -to fall into Debbie’s hands? If it had been delivered to the actual address on the letter, it would’ve been thrown out. The word “bashert,” often speaks to what is held very dear. Was it destiny, coinci- dence that the last owner of my new home also fell in love with the house at fi rst sight? Or that she played guitar, sang, was ar- tistic, loved to garden --just like me? Was it bashert that my realtor got the listing, giving me the fi rst, winning bid?


Recently I got a call


from a woman with a similar name and pro- fessional background, also raised in the mid- west.


in Bennett Valley, and moved into my new home. I’d shown up to sing at a skilled nursing facility on Hoen Avenue. On the chair set out for me was an envelope: a paycheck?


I


picked it up. My co-worker, Debbie, who’d put it there for me, hurried over. “Look at the address,” she insisted. It was addressed to me (using a name few people know about!) at the Bennett Valley address. “How on earth could this get


... continued from page 20 LDER ISDOM


Rosa in 1957. After moving 13 times since


Allan was born, the Bell family found “home” in Santa Rosa and Jean was determined to stay put. Jean’s “perfect Eden” had perfect weather, friendly people, happy children, prune orchards across the street; and a drive-in movie theatre on Summerfi eld Road.


Despite


the changes over time, she still feels she lives in the “best place on earth.” and continues to live in the home they pur- chased in 1960 near Howarth Park.


The constants in her


life have been her family, her church, and singing/music (she still sings with the Sonoma County Chorus). Life has been rich, and she wouldn’t change a thing! To Jean, people (fam- ily, friends, community) are the most important things in life. Jean Bell is indeed a humble


woman who continues to live a rich life!


She’d picked


up her fi rst copy ever of The Upbeat, and turned to my column. She noted the Native


American word, “Wokanda,” Great Spirit. We both had learned this word as Camp Fire Girls.


She’s now my favorite


new client. –Bashert? It seems there’s an Intelli-


gence at work among us, lin- ing things up, co-creating with each of us what some call “destiny.” Are things meant to be? Do we infl uence or cause our own fates? To be safe, I’ll Shine deLight. ~ Marcia


Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?


Dennis and Wendy Mannering


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Walks. The body advances, while the mind fl utters around it like a bird. ~Jules Renard


from 8:15am-9am with the Upbeat Times Publisher Paul Doyle and the Upbeat Minute!


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TM UPBEAT TIMES • July 2014 • 21


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eloise Tweeten is an


elder care


advisor based in Santa Rosa, CA. If you know a


wise elder who is willing to be in- terviewed for this column, please contact her at 707-570-2589 or Eloise@TweetenEldercare.com


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