THIS I BELIVE

CALLIE SIGUNICK

When I think about friendship one word comes to mind, trust.  When I talk to my friends and tell them my secrets, I know that they will listen be respectful of me and not tell anyone.  You can tell when there is not a true friendship, when you  tell someone that you think is your friend one of your biggest secrets and they tell someone that you don’t want them to tell.  Or if they tell anyone when you told them not to tell then you know that they are not your friend.  Sometimes friendships click and sometimes they don’t.  But don’t make a silly desision like I did  

In my school I have three best friends, Chloe, Kendall, and Margot.  They may be my friends now but, they were not my friends in 6th grade.  In fact I did not even know Kendall until I became friends with a girl named Amaria.  Margot and I were not very nice to each other in Beye Elementary, the best elementary school in the universe.  Chloe and I, well, let’s just say we did not like each other in elementary school.  When I was in 3rd grade and my amazing younger sister, Olivia was in kindergarden, we were both outside at resess at the same time.  Chloe and her friend N’Kote were on the slider thing and they were standing in the way of Olivia and she asked if they could move but, they ignored her.  So, I walked over and told Chloe to get out of the way so that Olivia could get through she moved and scince 3rd grade she has bullied me.  She is one of my best friends now because I have learned a very important lesson.  Giving someone a second chance  Chloe gave that to me and I gave that to her.  During the week we walk to school from Beye because we help my awesome mom on Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Friday’s.  We have her mom drop us off at school early on Monday’s, and Thursday’s for choir and Fiber Arts.  It is good to know that I can count on Chloe to help me anytime I need it and to know that she is there by my side helping me deal with girl drama in my school Percy Julian Middle school, which is what the next story is about.

This next story is about how my friendship with Kendall developed.  Now before I say anything I should tell you Amaria is a girl who is very popular and is in my gym class.  So, in the first two weeks of school my only friend was Chloe.  We hung out at lunch and hung out before and sometimes after school.  One day in the first or second week of school I was in gym class and I asked Amaria if she would like to be my friend she said yes and we talked for a while she seemed very nice so we hung out at lunch it was really fun.  The next day was Thursday and when I got to Chloe’s house she said she did not like Amaria and she seemed like she would probably hurt me as a friend because she knew how popular people could be.  I got mad at her and she said that is was only for my own good.  The next day Amaria and I were having a good time in gym and I told her that she should not sit with us she asked me why and I said it was for her own good.  Then she said Kendall come over here!  At first I was not too comftorble with Kendall but then we got more and more friendly and she started to hang out with me, Chloe and Margot at lunch and Amaria was mad and told Ms. Carr the assistant principle that I stloe Kendall from her.  Ms. Carr talked to me, Kendall, and Amaria and after she was done talking to me about how much Kendall’s friendship meant to Amaria she asked Kendall and Amaria if they wanted to be each others friends and they both said no.  I now see that even though someone may apper kind and friendly on the outside sometimes on the inside they are cruel and hurt other people’s feelings.  And even though people are popular that does not mean they are good people and are good, true friends.                  

B'Nai Mitzvah stories

B'Nai Mitzvah

I have learned a lot about my family history in my B'Nai Mitzvah class I have two great stories told by my wonderful parents.  First my mom's well I have two short stories from my mom but one long story from my dad.  

Mommy: My mom's grandfather Lewis was her mom's father, he had a very big family with six or seven brothers and sisters.  They came from Russia but we are not sure if they were born there.  Lewis was the only Grandparent my mom knew.  Her Aunt Eve and Uncle Nat were two of Lewis's siblings and my mom and her family would always visit Eves' apartment.  Nat owned a pharmacy in Framingham were my mom and my Aunties grew up.  My Auntie Robin thinks of one word when she thinks of  our family: FOOD!  As far back as she can remember, food was the thing that connected them with immediate and there very small but, colorful family.  She remembers her grandpa's bagels and gray candies ( Licorice candies).  She also remembers her uncle Mike ( one of the writers for the Carroll Burnett Show,) sending my Grandma See's chocolates from California where he lived.  One of her favorite food memories was her holiday meals, Blintzes to break the fast, apples and honey for rosh Hashanah, Matz ball soup for Passover, and my Grandma's Famous Brisket a recipe that still lives on through my mom and my Aunts.  And every time they make it They and I both think of there mom, my Grandma.

Papa: My great-grandma Mary's family comes from Black sea area of the Georgian mountains.  She had a long auburn curly hair.  Her family were merchants.  My great-grandpa Max was one of eleven children, living in Boboysk,, a ghetto in the Ukraine.  He and his family were very poor and when he was 14 he ran away to his uncles home where he learned to cut leather for a living.  As a young man he was forced to join the Russian army.  He was also arrested for revolutionary activity and was sentenced to death but, was pardoned.  He got married to Mary, who's first boyfriend was a soldier and was killed in the war.  Max made his way alone to Portugal where, on borrowed money he took a ship to New York.  He soon took a train to a suburb of New York called Milwaukee. Max loved sour cream and had a bowl of it at every meal.  He was shy.  But after Mary died he remarried my Aunt Ida.  Aunt Ida was in the New York communist party.  But, Max was a labor Zionist (socialist) But they loved each other any way.  Max loved his leather cutting union, and when his union went on strike the usually kind and gentle Max was very mean to scabs.