If you've never heard me talk about my Great Aunt Mollie, all you need to know is this: she's absolutely fabulous.
She is 95, but her universal ideals of equality and goodness transcend her age. About a week ago, while in the hospital mind you, she decided that Hillary Clinton could really use her advice. So she wrote her a letter. Not a letter about the war or really much about politics at all. A letter advising her not to partake in gossip. The unlikelihood of her words actually reaching the campaigning senator doesn't faze her. But to be on the realistic side, Aunt Mollie decided that if she doesn't hear back soon from Hill, she'll try to send it to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
So this past Monday, she passed a copy to me to read. To get the full experience, try to imagine it double spaced in font size 22. I give you, AUNT MOLLIE:
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January 12, 2008 Honorable Senator Hillary Clinton,
I am 95 years old so you must realize I have lived almost a century of experiences. In all that time I never missed a single voting opportunity. There were good times and there were bad ones. But at the worst, not as bad as today.
When I heard on the radio that you were thinking of being a candidate for the presidency, my feeling was--maybe this is the solution.
I think you are a caring, sympathetic, and smart lady. Experience you have, if even second hand.
There have been very many great ladies going back to Deborah in the Bible. Later, Margaret Thatcher, Mrs. Roosevelt, Indira Ghanda, and Golda Meir. My fervent prayer is that you would not stoop to innuendo, rumors, gossip. And when confronted you would look them in the eye and say-- "I will not stoop to this. I only want to talk about what I want to accomplish." And every time this comes up just repeat this reply. And you could quote a leader who once said, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
I also thought you stress the fact that no matter what you promise it cannot be accomplished without a senate and a House to accomplish it.
Senator, you have a daughter and maybe progeny later. Do you want them to live in this kind of country? I have 2 children, 6 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren--and I grieve for their future. So please-- Ignore the bombasts, the criticisms and come to the facts only. Show the world that you are what you really are. I shall close with our most beautiful word, "Shalom."
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Aside from the fact that her message is solid -- gossiping is a no no. True story -- the internal inhibitions that hold back people's voices -- age, gender, seeming ordinary-ness, fear -- are not factors to Aunt Mollie. She believes that her opinion is of worth, so she makes it heard in the best medium that she can find. And she never censors herself. And she's always learning. And she adores Judaism and infuses it into her messages, but never lets blind faith stupify her sensibility. And that is why I think she's absolutely fabulous.
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