Third of three parts.
Re: “Parents Teach, but Children Do, Too”
When my two granddaughters, who are 7 and 8 years old, came to visit is in Ls Angeles this year, they were interested in seeing dolphins.
Their parents decided that all of us should go to Las Vegas to watch the “Dolphins Habitat” show at the Mirage Hotel.
Both girls were very excited by the show — and the dolphins were attracted to them.
Especially Lia. She expressed herself in such a beautiful, delicate way. My heart was touched by the tender way showered her pure love n the dolphins.
This was one of those rare moments.
I have learned to photograph the precious expressions like that with my invisible camera, carve them like a skilled sculpture, gently place them in my secret garden.
When they are gone, these are moments that I enter in my secret garden.
I see them again.
I hear all of their words that warm my heart.
Their maternal grandparents live in Corpus Christie, near the beach.
Peggy, the girls’ other grandmother, was telling me that when they were looking to purchase land for their house, they found an open space near the beach.
They loved the view, the location. Still, they were hesitant to purchase.
So she prayed and talked to G-d in her heart. She asked Him, “Please, God, give me a sign of encouragement!”
Here Is How She Knew
At that exact moment, she saw a dolphin jumping in front of her in the ocean just as she finished her prayer.
Turning to her hesitant husband, she said “Yes, this is it. Our house is going to be here. We just received a positive sign and blessing!”
I am not sure if she has told this story to the girls.
I am positive, though, that during visits to their grandparents, they often see the dolphins swim and jump in the ocean.
One of the nights that we were watching the “Ark of Noah,” both girls were carefully watching how all the animals were entering the Ark two by two as Noah and his family members were guiding them to their designated spaces.
After the movie, Lia asked me:
“Mimi, did Noah also take the dolphins in the Ark? Where did he put them?”
I have to confess that I was really shocked. This question never had crossed my mind. I never have heard any rabbi or knowledgeable theologian talk about this subject.
As I was searching for the right words to answer her — I did not want to lie — I had to be quiet and think for a moment.
Before I was able to find the right words, Lia, not yet 8 years old, comforted me.
Wisely, she answered her own question.
“Oh, yes, Mimi I know, the dolphins did not really need to go in the Ark. Water covered the earth. The dolphins probably were swimming around the Ark in the water.”
Wow! What an amazing answer!
Thank you, Lia. You gave me a new subject to think about and research. After the research, I am going to write and illustrate a new version of the story of “The Ark of Noah.”
Dr. Rosemary Hartounian Cohen, who lives in the Fairfax District, received her Ph.D in sociology from the Sorbonne in Paris. She lived in two other countries before moving, with her husband and four children, to Los Angeles in 1984. She has published four books in America. Since 1985, she has operated Atelier de Paris, an international art business, on Robertson Boulevard. Her email address is Rosemary@atelierdeparis.com
There is a Talmudic tale. Before the deluge, all were asked, where is God? Only the creatures of the sea knew the answer. Since they live in water, they knew…God is all around them. Thus were the creatures of the sea not destroyed, only those of the land were in the deluge.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.