by Dr. David Sanders Just when I was ready to give up on humanity (not on any particular human just the overall take on whether the “human project” as a species could be trusted for even one generation to stop killing each other and wrecking the environment) a little Read more
by Melanie Gruenwald As I watch the leaves shift from green to gold to crimson, I am reminded that change is the only constant. Each leaf that loosens its hold and drifts to the ground feels like a small teaching — a whisper that everything is in motion, that life Read more
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 Read more
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 Read more
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 Read more
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 Read more
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 Read more
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). Read more
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. Read more
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 Read more