My mom’s Yahrtzeit is this Monday, the fifth night of Chanukah. Every year Chanukah is bittersweet and filled with extra special memories of my mom. My mom would bake a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting in the shape of a dreidel every year for her annual Chanukah party. She baked the cake in a 9×13 pan and she cut two triangles off the bottom two corners of the cake, and then she put the two triangles together to make a square, and she assembled the square as a stem at the top of the cake to make a dreidel. Mom baked Dreidel cookies half dipped in chocolate and toppings. She baked cupcakes with lots of piped frosting and sprinkles on top and she assembled each cupcake on an overturned glass with the center cupcake on a taller glass so the cupcakes made a menorah. My mom was all about the tiny details. Her latkes were extra crispy and salted just right and the applesauce that went with it fresh, homemade and just slightly chunky. The latkes were stacked in the most appetizing way on a beautiful ornate platter and they sat on a starched tablecloth with not one wrinkle or fold line. The silver Menorahs and candelabras were polished with “elbow grease” so every little corner sparkled. The Chanukah party started with a big lipstick mark on every kid’s cheek made with a big smacking sound. The house smelled delicious and everything was sparkling and beautiful.
In remembering my mom, it’s so obvious and apparent that we each live a legacy and even when we’re no longer here, all the people we leave behind will forever know who we are and what we stood for and the lessons we imbued and the values we represented. It makes so much sense to live life not just for the moment, but with a thought toward eternity and our legacy.
In representing sellers, I always advise my clients to disclose absolutely everything in their knowledge so a buyer is never surprised to learn something they didn’t know that the seller really knew. In representing buyers, I always advise my clients to inspect absolutely everything so they gather full information and they go into a deal with their eyes open or not at all. As buyers and sellers, and as buyers agents and sellers agents, we get the chance every day to choose to be trustworthy and in the role of caretaker where we protect the people around us. When we engage the services of any vendor or when we enter into a significant deal where a lot is on the line, as consumers we are always in a position of dependence where we rely on other humans to be respectful and to honor their obligation and commitment to care for us.
We have 6 counteroffers out on 1038 Stanley and we have buyers circling three of our other listings. In every transaction, as the vendors we are fully committed to being as honest, reliable, and trustworthy as we can and we look forward to the same respect in the people, both agents and buyers, who engage on the other side. Life, like business, is best with good respectful people all around. We enjoy working to a higher standard of complete respect always.
New beginnings are always fresh and exciting and full of hope and possibility. As we wind down 2020 and we start to put pen to paper on plans, hopes, and dreams for 2021, there’s something energizing about facing the start of a new year. Wishing that the lights of Chanukah shine light on the best in all of us and inspire us to be even more respectful, compassionate, and good to each other this holiday season, next year, and for the way we’ll be remembered, like my mom, for always and forever.
Happy Chanukah!
Xoxxoxox,
Sheri
