Bode and Soul
“Some of Chelone’s ashes were scattered at Mammoth Mountain in California, the hub of his snowboard escapades in recent winters. Others were spread on Mount Kinsman, some high in the sugarbush where he roamed as a child while the thrush and warblers sang and life seemed as sweet as the maple sap on his lips. […]
A Look in the Mirror
I thought of a trivia game (perhaps it is already on the market) where you have names of characters an actor played in films and you have to guess who the actor is. For instance, if the following sequence of names were read out loud, after which name would you guess Marisa Tomei: Natalie Hegalhuzen, […]
Sand in Your Pocket
Yesterday on the way to teaching class my cell phone rang. My policy is to not answer the phone when I don’t recognize the number. I ignored it—my policy that is–to encounter a woman’s voice on the line. In the recesses of my cortex connected to voice recognition the name came to my vocal chords. […]
The Rhyme of the Ancient Mime
He said “time will be my judge” He left without a trace Of regret or words unspokenEvery crease upon his face The delight and pain of grooves Etched in pantomime Filled space Enter silence you will Feel him For movement was his grace To express the finiteness of our personal existence, Yoga tradition […]
Crossing the Tight Rope
The slow food movement launched a clever new Ad Campaign to heighten people’s awareness of the use of hormones and anti-biotics in the fattening and immunizing of factory farmed animals: “You eat what your food eats. Make sure its natural.” The safe sex movement got this awareness going a few decades ago with spreading […]
Kabbalah at Work
I want to thank Rabbi Tirzah Firestone for trekking down the Boulder turnpike for the last three months to share with us her exquisite style of teaching. We were on her loom, creating together a quilt of the garment of light that the Zohar texts illuminate for us. Her guiding hands and melodic voice of […]
Unbounded Moment
Many of you may not be aware that out of necessity I have a second job. It starts the moment I enter the house and two little girls come rushing toward me. Isabel, the “younger” one, misses me more than her sister and wraps her little arms around my neck, a tight squeeze. Last […]
Before Kindergarten
I started the blog this week with the following thought: Two year old Eva (Sanders) has come up with some wonderful sayings on her quest to learn the English language. When I typed the word learn I stopped. How does a child learn English or any language? We typically think about learning as a conscious […]
Portrait of Jewish America
Alarm bells sounded earlier this month with the release of the findings from a major Pew Foundation survey of American Jews. A Portrait of Jewish Americans is the first national study in 13 years assessing a host of demographic data on religious identity, beliefs, practices and attitudes, rates of intermarriage and affiliation of Jews […]
The Promise is Now
Does death free of us our vows? Do our vows free us from death? Entering the solemnity of the day on this past Yom Kippur eve, Both Sides Now author Nancy Sharp transported us to the hospice bed of her beloved, departed husband. We cried as we shared her grief becoming present to our […]