Chayala, you were my mashpiah,
My mentor, my guide,
In you, I found someone
In whom I could confide
With you, there was nothing
I ever needed to hide;
You saw who I was,
And stood by my side.
You understood me
When no one else could,
You listened, you cared,
You simply stood.
When we first met,
I was just a few weeks old
“Go visit the Pitters,”
My parents were told.
You were awakened at night
Just to show you could walk and stand,
You gave chizuk to my parents
With a soft, steady hand.
They were anxious, unsure
Full of fear and despair,
But you calmed them with your smile,
With wisdom so rare.
You were my mashpiah,
Right from the start,
Your love for me
Came from deep in your heart.
You were my role model,
I wanted to be just like you –
To be there for others
With deep connections so true.
You would often say,
With a smile and a shrug,
“Me and you, Gitty,
We’re both in the same old club.”
Chayla, you were the club’s president,
The heart and the spark.
Your positivity and cheer
Illuminated the dark.
You showed me that
Strength comes through care;
That giving and kindness
Make life truly fair.
You stood up for me
When others did not,
When issues in school
Left me distraught.
With no friends
To call my own,
I brought a ball to school
To play with, alone.
But in middle of class
From my bag, it fell
“Give me that ball!,”
My teacher did yell.
You spoke to my teacher,
So gentle, so bold,
And stood by my side
When I had to be told:
“You matter, you’re seen,
You belong in this place,”
In a lonely fourth grade classroom,
You gave me grace.
Chayala, to me,
You were more than a friend –
You were a sister, a relationship
I prayed, would never end.
I longed to stay close to you,
To speak every day
Your conversations empowered me,
I treasured everything you would say.
Shabbos at your parents
Was my yearly treat.
At the Pitters, it didn’t matter
That I had braces on my feet.
On the trip to Long Beach
When a car crashed nearby,
I panicked from the sound
And wanted to cry.
You calmed me down
With your special ability,
You completely understood
My whole disability.
With your family,
I was safe and secure
I was given so much love
That was true and sure.
Chayala, you taught me
To see the good, not the pain,
Even when clouds
Poured down like rain.
You never questioned
Hashem’s hidden ways,
You radiated light
In life’s challenging maze.
It boggled your mind
How I manage in the dark
Always making it seem,
Your own nisyonos were a walk in the park
Hearing your wise cracks
Was always such fun,
You made jokes about everything
Under the sun.
Once you got started,
You wouldn’t stop –
Out of your mouth
The wise cracks would pop.
You loved hearing me laugh,
So, your jokes you continued to crack
I always wished I knew
How to throw my own jokes back.
With all of the challenges
That Spina Bifida entails,
I couldn’t share with just anyone
All the personal details.
With you, it was safe,
The shame was gone.
I could talk to you –
You just got it, plain and strong.
In school, when I feared
Using the bathroom stall,
Afraid I’d be mocked –
You were the one they would call.
From Staten Island,
Your voice came through,
Teaching me tricks
Only you ever knew.
How to pour soup
Without getting burned,
How to tackle life
And never get turned.
When your Henny was born,
You reminded me:
Keep rooting for yourself
You’ll get there, you’ll see.
“I told you so,” you said
When I had my own son –
Chayala, you believed in me
More than anyone.
You laughed with me,
My Heh Heh Heh imitated by you,
in a special manner
Only you knew how to do.
“Everything should be perfect”
Your last birthday brocha to me
Although through the trache,
Your voice came out as clearly as could be.
You’re gone now, Chayala,
And I feel so small,
Alone in a world
That doesn’t feel safe at all.
I davened each day
For healing to stay,
I prayed that the infection
Would just go away.
But what I asked for
Wasn’t meant to be,
I’m left here broken –
You’re no longer with me.
Who could have imagined,
Your levayah on Tisha B’av –
On this day of mourning,
It was ordained from above.
My smile is gone,
I am overcome with pain.
Your memory in my heart
Will forever and ever remain.
You’re up there now,
So, ask for us all
That this galus should finally end,
With Mashiach’s final call!