Stories I Tell Myself

Linda Brody Bakst on Brooklyn, growing up, identity and more

Month: December 2020

  • Regular readers of this blog and family members know that David Bakst has appeared many times in my stories and essays. My father-in-law had an extraordinary life. If you haven’t read his story, you can find the beginning of it herehttps://stories-i-tell-myself.com/2018/07/09/part-of-the-story/. Most recently I recounted that he led us in the blessings over the Chanukah…

  • I am still basking in the afterglow of Leah and Ben’s wedding weekend. To be fair, some of what I feel isn’t basking. There is a tinge of sadness because the big event is behind us and we have plunged into this darkest of winters. But, when I feel that melancholy, I look at the…

  • We made it! After planning, adjusting, worrying, fretting and more planning, the wedding weekend not only happened, it was a success. In the face of Covid, we pulled it off. We won’t fully exhale for another two weeks or so, when we see that no one in our little gathering got sick, but the important…

  • “You can’t put the genie back in the bottle,” I said. I don’t remember what prompted my remark, but Leah, my daughter, had an interesting reaction. “Maybe you can. What do we know about genie-world?” I laughed. “Well, true, but it’s an expression…” “I know, but why is it? What are the rules of genies?…