Once in a while you meet someone that touches your soul so completely that you feel you’ve known them before. My friend, Phyllis Newman is one of those people. In the early 2000s Phyllis was buying Chai stones from a Hallmark near her home in Michigan. The store went out of business, but not before sharing their source of Chai stones with her. Phyllis called us directly, and our friendship began. 

Phyllis is an amazing woman. She studied at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor when women students were definitely in the minority. She married her husband Albert at a young age and raised three children to be incredibly accomplished people. She has grandchildren and great-grandchildren all over the world, and they all adore her. In 1972 as President of her local Hadassah chapter, she oversaw the opening of a thrift shop that is still in business. They have raised more than a half million dollars for charity.

Phyllis’s mantra is “I am in a state of Joy and Gratitude.” It’s not that Phyllis has never known sorrow. After 69 years of marriage to Albert, whom she adored, he passed away. Even in her grief, Phyllis expressed love and positivity to me when she ordered her Chai stones. She feels Al’s presence and knows she’ll see him again. Phyllis was an enormous comfort to me in my family’s greatest tragedy and celebrated with us the birth of our grandson, Liam.

One of Phyllis’s many talents is her ability to sing. She calls herself a “Professional Amateur. " She gave a concert for friends and family on her 75^th birthday, a graciously gifted me a CD of the event. I’d intended to do some housework and computer work while I listened to it, but Phyllis is so entertaining that all I could do was sit in the chair and listen. She brought me to tears, which is always a sign that my soul is touched. Phyllis composes her own lyrics to suit various occasions and sings Broadway hits, beautiful tunes from the 40’s and Yiddish favorites like “Toom Balalaika".

Over the years Phyllis has probably purchased a thousand Chai stones. She gives one to anyone she thinks could use a bit of luck, to express her appreciation or to show her empathy. “It’s a mitzvah,” she says. There’s a story to every stone she gives, and sometimes she shares them with me. 

Most recently she told me that she gave one to her gardener’s assistant. The lady at the gardener’s next appointment, who happened to be Jewish, had recently lost her mother and was heartbroken. The assistant discreetly laid the Chai stone on her hall table. When the lady saw it, she wept and told the gardener that it was a sign from her mother that all would be well. That’s the kind of thing that happens when Phyllis hands out Chai stones. She has been told by many people that she has turned their lives around.

At this writing Phyllis is 94 years old and still going strong. She uses Facebook to keep up with family and friends. She’s still ordering Chai stones. I am thrilled each time she calls.