Brindie always says that if G-d gives you talent and strength, you must pay it forward.
So we paid it forward.
We showed up one evening at the Zichron Menachem Center, armed with blowdryers, curlers and clips, not knowing what to expect. We were told that this was to be a night of pampering for sick girls and their mothers. Honestly, we were a little bit nervous. Would it be hard? Terrifying, even? Would we be able to give these girls an enjoyable experience?
The Zichron Menachem Center, an amazing place in its own right, was brightly lit, decorated and festive.
Mothers and daughters enjoyed a sumptuous dinner while we set up our professional hairstyling stations that were already waiting there for us.
The program offered various beauty treatments for the girls and mothers. This is so important! When a woman, regardless of her age, spends her time lying in a hospital bed, weak and in pain, she often neglects her appearance for long periods of time. Sometimes a year or even more passes without tending to herself. All of her energy is focused on simply coping, carrying on and hopefully, healing.
But as women (from age 12 to 122), our outward appearance gives us powerful feedback. Rarely does it remain an outward element of ourselves. It empowers us. And that is exactly what these women needed so intensely. A shot of inner empowerment.
Brindie is overcome with emotion when she talks about it. It reflects her life philosophy so well. The evening left her exhausted, full of energy and emotion.
“It was truly uplifting,” she recounts. “I connected with these women who so desperately needed something to make them feel good. I felt like I was in an incredibly pure place. It was extraordinarily powerful. The experience was genuine. I felt like I was in a position of pure altruism, experiencing the privilege of giving. The privilege of making others happy.”
Toward the end of the evening, Brindie was approached by a mother and her daughter in her twenties. “The daughter looked like she was recently married,” Brindie describes. “I’m used to seeing these kind of women in our studio. The mother, wanting to help and give, while the daughter tries to figuring out how to deal with her new hair covering… Something was amiss with this girl’s wig. The bangs were missing a certain touch. It needed a little tweaking to make it complement her face better. I was happy to fix it for her. The daughter was simply ecstatic with the results. I smiled. I’m used to this.
“After they had left, Avigyel, the event’s organizer, approached me and told me that I had helped this girl so much. She had been having such a hard time dealing with her baldness. Baldness?!
“I felt like I was going to collapse right there in the middle of the hall. The contrast was so striking. The daughter was so happy and excited. Who could have imagined that she was sick? I thought that this was just another ubiquitous case of a good-natured new bride. But it wasn’t. Here there was no cause for celebration, I said to myself. I must understand that here, everything is different.”
We got the sense that Zichron Menachem is a unique place where pain and joy intertwine. These women can leave their troubles aside for the evening, look gorgeous, be spoiled with little gifts and enjoy personal attention… It’s a place that bridges their worlds and puts a smile on their faces. It’s intimate, genuine and without commotion.
We went home with all of these emotions spinning through our heads. Indeed, it was a privilege for us to be able to give of ourselves, especially in our area of expertise and talent. And how appropriate for the month of Elul.
Photography: Shulamit Hershler