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Last weekend I planned to take the train from our home in Maine to Needham so I could be at Ruach for Shabbat services. It was right after the recent blizzard so I added some extra travel time to get to the Brunswick train station, our closest stop. Unfortunately, the streets... Read More →

As I sit here cozily enjoying the warmth of our bedroom fireplace awaiting the arrival of the blizzard, the frosted windows remind me of the tension and barriers in our lives between the haves and the have-nots. Yes, I’m warm inside today, but so many aren’t. And what... Read More →

This week I had dental surgery as a result of an injury from high school. Since so much time had gone by since the original treatment, and the surgery involved my jawbone as well as gums, it was an unknown beforehand as to the complexity that would be involved. It was possible I... Read More →

Earlier this year I shared with you that my work had diminished and that it would be interesting to see how the rest of the year played out. Well, the year is coming to a close and how it went was that work came in in spurts, maybe averaging 5 hours a week or less. The further... Read More →

As I was sitting here doing my nails, my IPhone sounded the receipt of an incoming email. Could that be from a client in response to an email I had just sent which caused me a bit of angst since I had just notified them of a potential problem needing attention? Or could it be a... Read More →

This morning I realized I missed the Pentatonix Christmas Special. I was really bummed since I had watched it last year and was so moved. . . In case you’re not familiar with the group, they are an astoundingly wonderful a capella group and I highly recommend you check them... Read More →

As we join with family and friends today for Thanksgiving, I have been reflecting on all that I have to be thankful for. And I realized that the “I” in that sentence just doesn’t fit. I realized that I am so much a part of my Ruach community that most of what I am thankful for,... Read More →

I recently caught the ending of the Menendez brothers’ story being shown as a TV series detailing the brutal murders of their parents by the young men in 1989. I had caught bits and pieces over the last couple months and just the very end of the last episode, so I... Read More →

Aren’t the fall colors amazing? I just recently learned that the orange and yellow colors of our fall foliage are the result of carotenoids which are in the leaf throughout the growing season. The reason the leaf looks green until fall, however, is that chlorophyll is... Read More →

Someone recently asked me if I would write a song based on Psalm 23: 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though... Read More →

I have just returned from back-to-back weekly travel so was unable to have those quiet moments when I feel inspired to write a Shabbat encouragement. So I wasn’t planning to, until this morning, when I guess there were other plans at work. . . As I took my morning jog, a... Read More →

Sid and I recently watched “Lion”, a wonderful film based on the true story of a boy from India who gets lost at a very young age, adopted by parents in Tasmania, and ultimately reunited with his mother. If you haven’t seen the movie, you may want to wait to... Read More →

This morning on the Today Show I watched headline, first story coverage of the rescue of a baby dolphin stranded originally on a Florida street by the storm surge from Hurricane Irma. It was likely the little guy would not survive given all that the very small dolphin had already... Read More →

As we engage in this month of Elul, preparing ourselves, I found this past Shabbat encouragement very helpful. What’s in your head? Do you ever find the time to block out distractions and listen to your thoughts? For most of us our thoughts are so many and often racing that... Read More →

I have a very close Jewish acquaintance, let’s call her Sarah, who lives deep in the Bible belt. We talk by phone often and she has shared some pretty amazing stories of what it feels like to be the only Jew in her neighborhood in what seems to her to be a very Christian... Read More →

It has been a whirlwind few weeks. It feels like we carry our home on our backs as we live in our 25′ RV more than in either our apartment in MA or our home in ME, not to mention the trek to WI and back for camp. . . So today we had a brief reprieve at our home in ME, not... Read More →

Once again, Camp Or L’Dor was over the top wonderful. In all the years that I have been involved (from the beginning), more teens were strengthened in their faith this year than in any other year. And this, despite all of the usual challenges we face. At the healing prayer... Read More →

So many wonderful camp stories. . . many young people feeling the presence of HaShem. Engaging Jewish services with Yeshua at the center. Teens sharing experiences of hearing from Him, tearful connections to Him, deep inner healings . . . That is what camp is all about. Yet my... Read More →

For those of you who have been on my list for awhile, it’s that time of year again – the 9th(!) summer of Camp Or L’Dor, the Messianic Jewish teen camp founded by my husband Sid and Rabbi Nathan in (hard to believe!) 2009. What a blessed journey it has been and... Read More →

As a Jewish woman now in the Messianic Jewish world, an important distinction has been made regarding how I state our goals vis-à-vis our mainstream Jewish brothers and sisters. What we seek is normalization, that is, that Messianic Judaism would be perceived as a normal part of... Read More →

On Sunday I returned from five days in Chicago where I attended the annual UMJC conference. This is our Messianic Jewish umbrella organization and by its nature is representative of a multitude of synagogues with quite diverse expressions of our faith. No doubt the style of the... Read More →

This week as I watched one of my favorite shows “America’s Got Talent”, a strange sequence was broadcast. At the request of the performer’s parents, the audition of an amazingly talented 29 year old physician who liked to sing was aired. Unfortunately, the... Read More →

Sid and I recently returned from a five day stay in our RV while we airbnbed our house. We had worked so hard to ready our home and then been living from suitcases while RVing place to place that we were exceptionally happy to finally be home. My sister had invited us to join her... Read More →

We recently were offered a last minute opportunity to visit our children and grandbaby to give them a hand as they prepare for a trip abroad. Sid and I had just decided to chill out a bit at our home in Maine since life had been a bit hectic recently. However, when given the... Read More →

On Father’s Day the fam and I saw the movie “Wonder Woman”. This writing is an ending spoiler so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, you may want to read this encouragement at another time. This depiction of Wonder Woman was new to me. Although I knew the... Read More →

This seems to be a season of loved ones who are struggling with illnesses. They range from the seriousness of my neighbor just diagnosed with Stage 3 melanoma to bothersome stomach viruses. In each case, however, it has been interesting to see how the person’s perspective... Read More →

I recently attended Hashivenu, a conference for leaders in our movement, commonly referred to as our “think tank”. At the event we were blessed to participate in a memorial service for Ellen Goldsmith, one of our most esteemed leaders, who sadly died of cancer in... Read More →

Over the past several years my brother and sister have had challenges in their relationship. They used to work together in my brother’s business. When they decided to go their separate ways in business, so, too did their personal relationship. As their sister and loving... Read More →

We have recently reflected on the need to let situations, and sometimes people, go. Clearly if we are in an unhealthy relationship being bombarded with loshan hora (gossip), we are called upon to stand up against such behavior rather than utilize the listening skills I have been... Read More →

Last week we reflected on how little things can drag us down if we let them and that often we just need to let it go. That can be hard enough when it comes to a situation, but even more challenging when it comes to relationships. I had a friend for several years who let’s... Read More →