In January 2016, just a bit over 10 years ago, I submitted an unsolicited, over-the-transom column to the Jewish Standard, titled “Remembering Rabbi Eugene Borowitz.” It was an appreciation that I, a lifelong member of the Modern Orthodox community, had written about my surprisingly warm relationship with a towering, leading 20th-century Reform theologian. I thought that since we made somewhat strange bedfellows, I could easily find someone to publish it. Nope; I almost struck out.

However, after swinging and missing twice, I was lucky that the Standard’s editor, Joanne Palmer, my now friend but then a complete stranger, accepted the piece. It appeared a few days later, complete with a headshot and a one-paragraph bio. (For the full version of this tale, see “Column A . . . .”)

And just like that — poof! — here I am, a decade older and a regular Standard columnist with 199 “I’ve Been Thinking” columns under my belt, angsting over how to commemorate this 10th anniversary/bicentennial column.

Much has changed in my personal life since that first column. While still blessedly married to the same woman (with our 56th wedding anniversary just days away), since writing column No. 1, I’ve retired from practicing law, published a book, begun once again to devote regular weekly time to the study of Torah as I had done in my long-ago days at Yeshiva College, won some Rockower awards, eased off my New York Times addiction — I now have the print paper delivered only three days a week (with digital access the rest), and have developed the fortitude to be able to miss some issues without feeling the need to go to the library to read them weeks later — and have become more involved in Teaneck concerns, activities, and politics, while expanding local relationships beyond my more intimate Modern Orthodox community.

Together, Sharon and I have danced at the wedding of a daughter who, with her husband, has given us three exceptional grandchildren on top of the three stupendous ones we already had, enjoyed a daughter’s oeuvre at a juried art show, celebrated many wonderful family rites of passage, survived the covid years, watched a grandson star at Chidon Tanach on Israeli television, observed secular and Jewish holidays surrounded by family ranging from infants to those more than nine decades old, saw a daughter’s expert care for her students........

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