No single event triggered my decision to jot down the bits and pieces of a patchwork life, but I suspect the seed germinated during the weekly Torah study sessions I attended after my retirement. Again and again our rabbi reminded us that bad as well as good times provide opportunities for growth and that bleak as well as bright moments illuminate our way towards spiritual wholeness. As I began plucking at the faded strands of my family tapestry I discovered that the rabbi was right. Moments of pain as well as joy did illuminate my journey and the bad as well as the good times do provide opportunities for growth. This memoir is an attempt to capture those moments. Ida Marks-Meltzer