Bubbe Wisdom Blog – Page 15

Rejection

I really wish I were less of a thinking man and more of a fool not afraid of rejection. Billy Joel The business of an artist is a tough road fraught with multitudes of rejection. Artists have to have tough skin, not take it personally and keep searching for the right showcase for the work.Continue reading “Rejection”

The Loss of A Mother

Today, my cousins are here from California to bury their mother in our family cemetery. This is also where my parents, our grandparents and our great-grandparents are all buried. Having a family burial plot is an important part of our legacy binding us together. If we are fortunate enough to live according to nature’s cycleContinue reading “The Loss of A Mother”

What’s in a name?

This is my life and I’m going to live it. I never liked the middle ground, the most boring place in the world.Louise Nevelson I never liked my given name. I always thought it was out-of-date and dull. On paper it was often mistaken for Lousie or Lois or even Louis. Most of my adultContinue reading “What’s in a name?”

Reflect, React, Renew 2011/5771

Here we are having completed Rosh Hashanah, Taslich and the Fast of Gedaliah processing our way to Yom Kippur. At our Rosh Hashanah we adapted the 10 questions from Reboot a network working toward the rebooting inherited culture, rituals, and traditions to make them vital and resonant for today’s life. After you answering, treat yourselfContinue reading “Reflect, React, Renew 2011/5771”

The Plethora of Things to Cast Off

Tashlich is a Jewish custom in which we symbolically cast away our sins into a moving body of water. It is usually performed the first day of Rosh Hashanah in preparation for Yom Kippur. Tashlich is based on a verse “And you will cast all your sins into the depths of the sea.” from Micha,Continue reading “The Plethora of Things to Cast Off”

And If Not Now, When?

I truly believe that a two-state solution is the only way to ensure a more stable Middle East and to grant Israel the security and well-being it desires.Ehud Olmert Today, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority formally asked the Security Council to grant full United Nations membership to Palestine as a path toward itsContinue reading “And If Not Now, When?”

Keeping It Personal

It is almost impossible to believe it has been ten years since 9/11. Like every one, I clearly remember my circumstances, working at a project at the Heinz History Center when we were told of the incident and sent home. I drove home through town and shuttered in fear passing our Federal Building wondering ifContinue reading “Keeping It Personal”

What Ever You Do, Smile

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Thich Nhat Hanh Thich Nhat Hanh This past July when President Obama turned fifty, there was a great article in the New York Times about his aging face. The bottom line is that no differentContinue reading “What Ever You Do, Smile”

A Time To Forgive

Here we are in the month of Elul leading up to the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Elul is a sanctum for introspection and self-assessment as we conduct a full Cheshbon Ha Nefesh, an accounting of the soul. During Elul we separate from our material entanglements to audit our spiritual accountsContinue reading “A Time To Forgive”

The Jewish Love-In

There were no holidays so joyous for the Jewish People as the Fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippor, for on those days, daughters of Yerushalayim would go out dressed in borrowed white clothing so as not to embarrass those who didn’t have and dance in the vineyards located on the outskirts of the city. AndContinue reading “The Jewish Love-In”