The Meaning of Life
“What is the meaning of life?” she asks me.We are sitting at a table, at a retreat center where I am the guest speaker.I smile. Because that question is far more direct and interesting than, “How was the traffic?” So,…
Unplugged
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes. Including yourself. (Thank you Anne Lamott.)And yet. We can’t just unplug, can we? Don’t we need a plan of action, a strategy for self-improvement, and targets to…
This is the life
Many years ago, I am sitting on the bench in front of Bob’s Bakery with my son Zach (Bob’s is our island Saturday morning gathering spot). We’re having Cinnamon Twists. They are decadently yummy, and make me forget my need…
Honor sanctuary space
Every day after school, the son of a well-known Rabbi would enter his house, place his backpack on the dining room table, leave the house through the back door and head into the woods behind the house. At first, the Rabbi gave little thought…
My New Year wish
The husband knew he could not adequately care for his wife, now in the final stages of Alzheimer's. He found a compassionate facility and visited her every day. At noon for lunch. Not 11:59. Not 12:01. Noon. Every day. Until the day of a minor accident when he found himself in an Emergency Room, his arm being stitched by a nurse as the…
Unto us a child is born
Some headlines give you whiplash. “Heart Left Behind on Southwest Flight.” Oh my, that doesn’t sound good. It seems that a Southwest flight was forced to turn around after a human heart (meant for donation) was accidentally left on board.…
This I believe: Love 1. Hate 0.
Ninety-three-year-old Magalia resident Margaret Newsum feared for her life, watching the Paradise fire bearing down. She was quite immobile, still recovering from a broken back, and she stood in front of her house, waiting to die. Then she saw, out…
Life is fragile, grace is real
Today, I’m in Wilmette, IL. Where we gathered with family and friends to remember Robert Boehm, who died too young on September 13. I stand alongside Rabbi Andy Bossov. We cry and laugh and tell stories. Reminded about the fragility…
Take care of one another
This past week, I watched real-time TV images of devastation. Houses and businesses and lives and dreams, decimated. All the while, in awe of the absolute power and unpredictability of nature. And it hits me that we are, every single…
Today, I can make a difference
It is blueberry pancake Sunday. In the kitchen, the young mother works under a deadline and a promise; today before church, blueberry pancakes for her two sons, their favorite breakfast in the whole wide world. The two boys, aged 5 and 7, are…
