MSI Press Blog

  Grandmothering is an art — part patience, part presence, part knowing when to step in and when to let life unfold. I thought I learned that from experience. Turns out, my cat had been tutoring me for years. Cats are natural grandmas: they move at their own pace, they supervise everything, and they believe deeply in the power of a well‑timed snack. Living with one taught me more about grandmothering than any parenting book ever did. Here are the lessons that stuck: Rituals matter. Cats thrive on the sacredness of routine — the morning greeting, the evening check‑in, the predictable place at the table. Grandchildren do too. Rituals become memory anchors. Patience is a form of love. A cat will sit beside you quietly for as long as it takes. No rush, no pressure. Children feel that same safety when you match their tempo instead of hurrying them along. Gentleness doesn’t mean fragility. Cats are soft, but they are not weak. Grandmas are the same. Strength wrapped in warmth is its...

  Over the next few days, Irit Schaffer, author of Good Blood, Second Edition, has offered to share family photos to help readers get a feel for the people in the memoir. Here she shares a photograph of her grandmother, writing -  "I n this photo my grandma was 82 years old. She transcended in the camps and never let go of the light. Even during the darkest of times she was able to find the light. She would hold her daughter, my mother, every night in the camps, and say, tomorrow we will be liberated. This is what helped my mother survive. She had an inner peace about her that stayed with her for the rest of her life. This was part of the Good Blood light." Book description: When she was a child, her father said he had "good blood" and that is why he and his wife survived and healed from the Holocaust. The author searched for the meaning and significance of her father's words over two continents and through four generations. Her journey uncovered a unique voice ...