"Hantileh"

       We never escape our babyhood, our childhood, our youth and the influence of our parents, and grandparents, and beyond, I suppose...yes.

        A platitude but personal for me today.  Driving to the beach, I had sun-protective clothing for my arm, but my hand and especially fingers were uncovered, and we'd removed some protective, tinted plastic sheeting from the driver's side window.  It had  bubbled and made seeing difficult.  I had put sunscreen on the hand and fingers for the drive.

        I thought of it as we neared the beach:  "hantileh," an affectionate diminutive for "hand" in Yiddish.  From my mother, and her mother, and how far back.  It might have been said too when Mom put mittens on me for Minnesota winters. 

       Sunscreen wasn't my hand's only protection today.  It came swathed in language.