Circle Dance
by Dr. David Sanders I had a reason to look up a poem by T.S. Eliot I had never read, not realizing that it contained lines he wrote that I have admired for a long time: Toward the end of his Four Quartets: We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all […]
Metaphorically Speaking
by Melanie Gruenwald The concept of metaphor keeps showing up in my classes this month—and, also, in my own life. Metaphor is how I make sense of the things that can’t be explained directly. It’s how I teach, how I learn, how I sit with both joy and grief. When we talk about the Divine, […]
An Open Heart
by Melanie Gruenwald I recently began practicing yoga. After class, I notice that my heart feels wide open. I leave the studio wanting to connect with people. On Sundays, I wander through the Farmers Market after my flow, eager to share not only my Palisade peaches but also my spirit. Sometimes I even catch […]
My Grandmother
by Dr. David Sanders Today, I sent a photograph taken a number of years ago to my older sister Sarah. It was an image taken of a gravestone at a cemetery in New York where our grandmother, who we never met, is buried. My father’s mother died a few short days after giving birth to […]
Every New Beginning
by Melanie Gruenwald This time of year is always full of beginnings and endings—beginning of the school year, job changes, the turning of seasons. But this year, change feels sharper, closer to the bone. My husband has taken a job in another state. My twins are beginning their senior year of high school. Our home […]
White Fire
by David Sanders There is an ancient teaching that the Torah was written “black fire on white fire.” While it is obvious that in order for writing to be discernible (as opposed to engraving) one needs a contrast such as black lettering on a white background (or white on black). If all that was being […]
Choosing Joy: A Weekend Away, a Soul Returned
by Melanie Gruenwald This past weekend, I stepped away with my husband — not far geographically, but far enough to remember myself. We went to southwest Colorado- we enjoyed staying in a yurt, near hot springs with a view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Great Sand Dunes. There was no agenda, no […]
When the Rock Feels Heavy: Awareness in Uncertain Times
by Melanie Gruenwald This week, I had a lot of big feelings. I don’t know if it’s related to the energy in the world related to the upcoming Torah portion (biblical narrative) of Moses striking the rock to draw water—when he was meant to speak to it instead—or the experience of a world that feels […]
The Number I Track
by Dr. David Sanders The number I track (or does it “track” me?) is the number 111. It shows up as one would expect, randomly, on license plates, room numbers, occupancy totals and as the time remaining on a parking meter. Then there are times when it feels synchronistic, as if I am being guided […]
Stay in Touch
by Dr. David Sanders When I heard that Weight Watchers filed for bankruptcy it gave new meaning to the idiom “going belly up.” What was the cause of its demise? Weight Watchers, as has been the methodology of so many health-related initiatives, was based on human connection, the camaraderie and support of seeing and being […]