by Risè Kirbo The circle is an ancient symbol. It’s as vast as the planets in our solar system and as microscopic as an atom. It is an infinite image with no beginning and no end. Life changes. I now make my home in a round structure called a yurt. All 16 sides of the […]
Tag Archives | 2019
Seeking Stillness
Anonymous Elul. Here again. During any given year, I have (1) ignored it altogether, (2) generated many good intentions and done nothing, and (3) started and stopped some kind of spiritual discipline only to have it fizzle out. Gradually, I have learned that I need to find stillness in this hectic world for a kind […]
Adjusting
…and then he said, “When can this conversation be about me?” Pause, silence. The non-afflicted person proceeded with, “…and?” Longer pause. “I have cancer…stage 1.” Where does a twist in conversation take two people who have been best friends for decades? For me, I thought his announcement took us back to that “quick fire” response […]
Shifting Focus
by Anita Rothman Giving birth to our son, Jarrett, changed my life. I was in the pushing phase of labor when I became nauseated. My wonderful husband, Gary, turned to get the plastic basin, but when he turned back, I was gone. I’d experienced an amniotic fluid embolism, which is a rare event in childbirth […]
Reflections of a Jewish Convert(ing)
by Noe A Granados Five months ago, I came to Temple Beth Sholom to embark on an incredible journey so that I may be given the honor and privilege of reciting Ruth 1:16, giving the declaration of my commitment to becoming a member of the Jewish people. I have been asked many questions about my […]
Reflections
by Michelle Singleton ,אתם ניצבים היום כולכם לפני ה’ אלקיכם You are standing this day, all of you, before the Lord your God Reflection, what is reflection? Is it my face, my words or my life in review? Reflection, what is reflection? Can it be something as simple as a deep breath? Reflection, what […]
Looking into the Face of a Newborn
by Cindy Grossberg I remember my dad once saying to me, “If I had known how wonderful grandchildren were, I would have had them first!” That was thirty years ago. It wasn’t until June 28th at 5:00 a.m. when I held my beautiful granddaughter, Libby Jane, that I understood. Nothing prepared me for that overwhelming […]
My Bubbe Meise (Grandmother’s Tale)
By Donna Fliegler At the beginning of the last century, my grandmother, Yetta Post, left her parents and sister in the village of Suvalk Gubernia, Poland (which was then part of Russia) with her young husband, Sam, and baby son, my uncle Harry. Yetta and Sam had married when they were both sixteen as their […]
Shabbat Shalom
By Barry Leshowitz In a pair of Shabbat messages, a dear family friend, Mat Kozinets and I, share our feelings about the passing of my wife, Phyllis. Aug 23, 2019 Hi Mat, Shabbat Shalom! I am so thankful to receive your Shabbat messages: Words can’t describe my feelings. Which brings me to a facet of […]
Toward Serenity
by Donna Wolfe Reflecting on the year 5779 I see much that has happened or changed in my life, for example: Suffering both the losses of very dear ones and the gains of new intriguing friendships Taking the consciousness-raising I-Engage course here at TBS to examine what I believe as an American Jew about “my” […]