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As always, please be considerate of your fellow Fictioneers and keep your stories to 100 words. (Title is not included in the word count.) Many thanks.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Russell Gayer
Genre: Historical Friction
Word Count: 100
PILLAR OF FAITH
“Hurry, wife. The city’s crumbling around us.” The aged patriarch bent to fasten his sandals, and straightened with a groan. “Oy. I’m too old for this.”
“Do you prefer the blue tunic or the beige?” She held them up. “I think the blue brings out my eyes.”
“Woman! Are you meshuga? An angel warns us of the incoming wrath of God and you’re concerned with clothes?”
“No fashion sense.” She rolled her eyes. “You really believe this judgement mishegoss, don’t you?”
“Don’t you?”
“Angel shmangel.” She shrugged. “Lot, my love. I take everything you say with a grain of salt.”
*For those unfamiliar with Old Testament Bible stories, when God delivered Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the angel had instructed them not to look back. Lot’s wife did and turned into a pillar of salt.
***
ANNOUNCING:
My Coffee Table book A STONE FOR THE JOURNEY is now available on Amazon KINDLE, Paperback or Hardcover. Hardcover is also available at Barnes & Noble.com
I’m not crazy about the formatting job they did on the Kindle, but it’s all there. 😉 I’ve yet to see the paperback version so I reserve opinion. Nor do I understand why the paperback and hardcover are the same price.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
Usually a health scepticism stands a person in good stead. Lot’s wife is an exception, but I love your portrayal of her. I’m on her side
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Dear Neil,
I find that most things some people say should be taken with a grain of salt. In Lot’s wife’s case, not so much. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh… love the voice of this. I remember I wrote a story once based on the same story… love your black humor around it.
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Dear Björn,
I enjoy a bit of black humor myself. But then I cut my teeth on Mad Magazine and one of the most memorable movies of my childhood was Dr. Strangelove. Guess I’ve been warped from an early age. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I liked your spin, Rochelle and thanks for introducing the original story for us who don’t know.
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Dear Anshu,
I’m not sure theologians would agree with my take on the story, but my rabbi did chuckle. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love the genre “Historical Friction” you created for this little tale. Great job with the twist on this.
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Dear Jan,
I’m so glad you appreciated my jen-air. The sound of your laughter from the other room was the best comment. Thanks m’luv.
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Happy New Year Rochelle, and good luck with the book, the hardcover looks gorgeous. As for Lot’s wife, for once she should have listened to her man!
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Dear Iain,
Guess you could say that Lot’s wife was a little headstrong. 😉 Thank you re the book. Happy New Year to you, too.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I wasn’t familiar with the intricacies of the bible story, but something rang in my mind whilst reading this, really clever a fly on the wall style unromanticised tale of what actually happened. Love this very much.
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Dear Shrawley,
I sometimes read a Bible story and wonder what really went on behind closed doors. 😉 Glad you enjoyed it and took the time to say so. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Its exactly right, thats how I view everything, I don’t believe anything authority tells me, nothing is ever cut and dry, black and white, there’s always something missed out, and its what is NOT said which is the interesting bit!
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The way I see it is that these stories involve human beings. Exactly! We are on the same page…it’s always about what’s not said that sparks my interest. 😉
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The silence can be deafening
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Lot’s wife was a lot, eh? Loved the fun, black twist on the original story Rochelle. Very well written indeed.
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Dear Varad,
I’m pleased you enjoyed my slightly fractured tale. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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LOved the Biblical reference. It leant more gravitas to your story. Wish you and your family a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR, dear Rochelle.
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Dear Neel,
Not sure there was much gravitas to be had with this story. Definitely tongue in cheek. And maybe just a bit more cheeky. 😉 Thank you. Happy New Year to you, too, my friend. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Your story has great humour, m’lady, that god clearly did not.
It seems reasonable to me that a lady would want to look her best at such a time.
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Dear CE,
A sense of humor is one of the things that has always gotten me through life. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I did like your take on this, Rochelle. It feels so right to me that she would be sceptical of this ‘end of the world’ foretelling, as many of us would be today I’m guessing. I always felt sorry for Lot’s wife, turned to a pillar of salt just for being curious, though it perhaps makes her one of the world’s first ‘rubberneckers’! Love the humour and the touch of domesticity to this ancient tale. You’ve put the human in history again, something you’re so good at. Great work.
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Dear Lynn,
I can’t help looking at history and wondering, “What was going through her mind?” “Was he uncomfortable? Did his feet hurt?” You get the idea. 😉 In any case, I’m glad you liked my story. Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love those details too, love the day to day of people’s lives, how they were similar and different to our own. Always a pleasure
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BTW congrats on the book! What a lovely thing, to have your ambition come to life and in such a glorious way. Brilliant
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And that’s a Kindle copy of A Stone for the Journey sold! Exciting to see your images in finer detail, at once familiar from your blog and new. Looking forward to sitting back and looking at it properly
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Big smiles here. I will tell you that I’m not all that wild about the Kindle version. At least not the way it comes out on the iPad. I don’t know how it looks on an actual Kindle, if there’s any difference. I have found one place (the picture of “The Cohen Brothers”) that the picture is stretched out of proportion, but it I make it larger with my fingers it’s fine. The illustrations come after the stories, if that helps. I hope you enjoy it, Lynn. I am very proud of this book. Thank you so much.
Shalom again,
Rochelle
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I did notice that about The Cohen Brothers image, but perhaps they can go back and alter the formatting? I’ll be reading it on my laptop on the Kindle app, so the images look really good to me, the colours lush and the pictures sharp. A great accomplishment
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Oh I’m glad. I didn’t know laptops had a Kindle app. I hope the Cohen brothers straighten out on the laptop. Now I’m going to check out Kindle for my laptop. 😉 Thank you so much.
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My absolute pleasure 🙂
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I downloaded the Kindle app to my laptop. If you double click the Cohen Brothers you get the righted version. 😉
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Lovely! Will try that 🙂
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In fact if you double click any of the artwork you’ll get a larger view. 😉
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Okey dokey 🙂
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Very good story, especially the grain of salt at the end!
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Dear John,
Is this the John Burton I’ve known for 100 years? Glad you liked the story. I’m glad God has a sense of humor. I mean, he must. Look at His creation. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Love the take on Lot’s wife. She was indeed vain. Though I must say I’m skeptical of morality tales where the woman is depicted as being stupid. Seems pretty unlikely. But hey, that’s scripture for you.
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Dear Josh,
Like a certain part of the anatomy and opinions, we all have one. 😉 I don’t know if Lot’s wife was really vain, but she did make a huge mistake. Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Haha, I like this story a lot…. What to wear to Armageddon. Truthfully, how many of us wouldn’t look back?
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Dear Trent,
You comment has me laughing out loud. What to wear to Armageddon? 😀 Love it. Indeed there are times it’s not good to look back. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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hahaha! I can just imagine that conversation… heheh! At the moment, I’m reading the Left Behind series by LeHaye & someone… Anyway, this would fit right into that story, to. I’m at the part where the great earthquakes are happening, book 3 or 4,,I’ve lost track. Series was a Christmas gift from someone in our Sunday School class. When I get done sneezing pop from all the laughter, I’ll write something this week. Start the year out right. ~Shalom, Jelli.
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Dear Jelli,
I love to take Bible stories and imagine what really went through the heads of some of those people. They were human after all. I never read the Left Behind Series. They were very popular a few years back…even in the secular world. Happy to make you laugh. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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She always struck me as an independent, feisty little piece. No doubt her in-laws would have described her as a thoroughly bad lot. Duh! I’ll get me coat… Great way to start the year, Rochelle. You can’t beat a smile in January.
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Dear Sandra,
Bad lot? I see what you did there. 😉 Happy to start the year off with a smile. I even got a chuckle from my rabbi with this one. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Interesting story with the ‘salt’ connection.
Wish you a very happy new year.
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Dear Anita,
A little salt to season the new year. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A grain of salt. Oy.
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Dear James,
I’ll take that oy as a groan which in this case is a compliment. 😉 thank you and Happy New Year.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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For someone who was never so much as referred to by name~she’s just his wife~she was so the star of the show
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Dear Larry,
The next phase of Lot’s life isn’t exactly stellar, is it? 😉 But the missus definitely proved to be worth her weight in salt. 😀 Thanks for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Have you ever heard of a band called the Young Rochelles? They’re from my city. You can find them on Facebook.
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I never heard of them before today. 😉 I found them on You Tube as well. Not exactly the Beatles are they?
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I found out about them when I went to a speech, at a local library ,about the Ramones. They’re influenced by the Ramones and always play their songs
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Rochelle, you brought back memories of the original story that my English teacher had narrated to the class.
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Dear Kalpana,
No doubt your English teacher’s rendition was closer to the Bible than mine. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Oy! This time I did listen to you tell it… gave it much more flavour (see what I did there?). Men do have a tendency to exaggerate, so who can blame her for not being all gung-ho in believing him? ‘Course hindsight being 20/20 vision and all that…
Love what you did with this!
Lotsa love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
True. Men…well my man for sure…do tend to exaggerate. So certainly Mrs. Lot would take him with a grain of salt. 😉 Thank you for your encouraging words, on and off the grid. 😀 ❤
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’d forgotten the story of Lot;s wife.
Happy New Year Rochelle.
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Dear Di,
Happy to remind you. 😉 Happy New Year to you, too.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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🙂
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Ha ha! This was fabulously fun! 🙂
I do believe you were a fly on the wall of that tent … 😉
And I adore the grain of salt foreshadowing … Well done, my friend!
Here’s my contribution for this photo prompt:
Na’ama
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Na’ama Y’karah,
I actually had Billy Crystal and Carol Kane in mind for the roles. 😉
Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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it showed she wasn’t a pushover and had a mind of her own. too bad, she perished for it.
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Dear Plaridel,
She might not have been a pushover, but in the end she was a pillar…of salt. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh man she is definitely hardheaded. You gotta hand it to her though, she knows what she wants. And who knows, maybe salt will be in next season 😉 Great story!
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Dear Jacob,
Salt will definitely be in for her next season. 😉 Thank you. 😀
Shalom and Happy New Year!
Rochelle
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Ha ha ha. That was simply epic, Rochelle. Loved it 🙂 Shalom, and an amazing new year to you and your family.
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Dear Anurag,
Thank you for such an epic comment/compliment. 😉 A wonderful New Year to you and yours as well.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Superb! Love the Hebrew intonations in the text!👌👌👌👌
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Dear Sabina,
Actually it was a little more on the Yiddish side of Hebrew. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sorry, didn’t know the difference.
But wanted to mention!😊
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interesting
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Thanks.
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Soon to be many grains of salt herself… nice one!
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Right you are, Ali. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That was a fitting story for Russell’s picture, Rochelle. Good writing as always. All the best on your lovely coffee table book of illustrations. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
I’m glad you enjoyed. Thank you on all counts. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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If you are going to face god’s wrath, might as well face it dressed well.
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Dear Abhijit,
Facing Armageddon in style. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh, I love this conversation between Lot and his wife, JUST before disaster falls and she gets a lot more than a grain of salt. Beautifully done. And I listened to you read it–you could be an actress 🙂
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Dear Linda,
I’ve been accused of being something of a ham or drama queen. 😉 And I don’t mind. Thank you for your kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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😀 Love this Rochelle!
May I take this moment to wish you a wonderful New Year.
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Dear Colline,
I’ll take any and all New Year’s wishes. 😀 Thank you re my story.
Shalom and a Happy New Year to you as well,
Rochelle
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This is fun – and she looked back too, the silly woman!
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Dear Liz,
And we all know what happened when she looked back. 😉 Pass the salt, please.
Shalom and Happy New Year,
Rochelle
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Oh my goodness, I laughed out loud. His wife obviously doesn’t know “a Lot.” 🙂 I can certainly relate to how the patriarch feels though. “Oy. I’m too old for this.” A wonderful story!
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Dear Brenda,
The thought of you laughing out loud at my silliness has me smiling. 😀 Oh yes, I can relate to the aging patriarch, too. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ended up with a little more than a grain! Great telling!
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Dear Russell,
She certainly did get more salt than she bargained for, didn’t she? 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Your writings introduce events and incidents from the history in such an uncomplicated and interesting way.Enjoyed it!!
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Dear Ira,
Thank you for such a lovely comment/compliment. So glad you enjoyed. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Very humorous, Rochelle. Great piece. Fabulous voice
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Dear Laurie,
Glad you found it humorous. Totally tongue in cheek. And thank you for checking out some of my earlier posts. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Pillar of salt was my first thought, But you did it the supreme justice here.. Happy New Year Rochelle…
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Dear Violet,
I love to play with words…you might have guessed. 😉 Thank you so much and a Happy New Year to you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I loved that woman. I think we share a bond in taking things with a pinch of salt 🙂
My take this time-https://stilllovedstillmissed.wordpress.com/2019/01/04/depth-images/
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Dear Still,
You comments make me smile. Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That’s great, Richelle❤️
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Happy New Year, Rochelle.
I love your take on this story a lot more than the original which is just another one to cement the patriarchy and keep women ‘in their place’ and inferior.
And thank you for the Kindle version, bought it right away and love it. The layout of the images is indeed sometimes skewed but I’ve seen this more than once in kindle versions. As long as I can enlarge it properly I find it perfectly fine. For people with a small budget, or lack of space, this is ideal.
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Dear Gabriele,
I’m glad you enjoyed my story. Thank you for buying the Kindle version. As long as you know how to enlarge it, It’s all well and good. 😉 Happy New Year, may it be one filled with
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Interesting take on the biblical account of Lot and his wife. As I read it Jesus’s words came to me. “Remember Lot’s wife”.
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Dear Adele,
Of course my story is a bit of satire. There is a reason to remember Lot’s wife in any event.
Thank you and
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You’re a master at satire. And what you said is so true. We are cautioned to remember Lot’s wife in any event. Shalom to you too, Rochelle 🙂
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A slug of a wife defeated by salt. Lot got off easy. Fun piece.
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Dear Stu,
You could say Lot became a seasoned veteran. Thank you. 😀 Pass the salt, please.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ha ha! That was good – again.
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Thank you, Linda. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A wonderful spin on Lot’s wife. So clever. Happy New Year and congrats on the continuing publishing success. Cheers, Margaret
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Dear Margaret,
I’m pleased you enjoyed my tongue in cheek story. Thank you for your lovely wishes and comments. Great to see you back here!
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Haha…clever and amusing.
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Thank you, Dawn. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Har! Har! She should have just said ‘Armageddon outta here’ and not looked back. Have a wonderful 2019.
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Dear Subroto,
What great pun it is to have you around. You’re a pillar of the FF community. Pass the salt please and thank you. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love this so much!
Shalom,
Ronda
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Hilarious! Faith can move mountains, and lack thereof can turn one into a pillar of salt. Such a fun read, Rochelle. 😀
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Ha-Ha-Ha! Rochelle, I’ve been away for too long. Loved this one!
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