Breathe.
Melanie Gruenwald So many times, we experience life, thinking “I’ll feel better when… ”I’ll feel calmer when…” “I’ll feel less anxious when….” And “when” comes, and we’re all still feeling a bit muddled… what is going on? My first thought is the need to take more deep breaths and hydrate. We need to get out […]
The Invisible is More Important than the Visible
by Melanie Gruenwald Being a mourner in this time of COVID is an interesting experience. Life transitions, in general, are being experienced differently, in general. My dad passed away in Florida on August 25th. My brother and I were able to be with him in his final weeks, because of the flexibility of working remotely. […]
Let’s Remake the World with Words
by Melanie Gruenwald “Let’s remake the world with words” Written by Gregory Orr Let’s remake the world with words. Not frivolously, nor To hide from what we fear, But with a purpose. Let’s, As Wordsworth said, remove “The dust of custom” so things Shine again, each object arrayed In its robe of original light. And […]
Writing on the Mirror
My husband and I have a quirky habit. We write notes on our bathroom mirrors with dry erase markers. This is a nice way to give a little love note in our normally busy (pre-COVID) lives “Love you! Have a great day!” Sometimes these notes are reminders “Call so-and-so. Shave. Trim Micah’s nails. Pick up […]
The Masks We Wear
“Are you wearing the mask, or is the mask wearing you?” In our second year course on Masks: Who are you?, we explore the many layers of masks we wear- in a sense of awareness and connection to our souls. We wear our given masks, and we wear masks we choose for ourselves. We wear […]
For Koby, who always found Light in Darkness
One of the beautiful arrangements of my teaching schedule this semester, is that I teach ‘Soul: Intro to Kabbalah’ of the Year 1 curriculum immediately before ‘Masks: Who are you?’, its parallel in the second year curriculum. I deeply appreciate the themes that are woven between the classes, and the timeliness of these curricula for […]
Gratitude on a Full Stomach
On Thanksgiving, our family joined hundreds of others in downtown Philadelphia, bringing Thanksgiving meals to the less fortunate, with an organization called “Manna.” We traversed the city in two cars- with three generations- to use our time together to make a difference in the community. Alongside our children, we knocked on people’s doors, delivered nourishment […]