Shabbat Inspiration with Diane

Not sure what time it is back home as I write this, but at the moment Sid and I are sitting in a Starbucks in Dublin, Ireland. We had somehow accumulated an inordinate number of Marriott points which turned into a fully paid big trip which we would either use or lose if not used this year, so we booked this trip about six months ago. We decided it would be a meaningful way to celebrate my big birthday last year, Sid’s big birthday next year, and our 18th (chai!) anniversary this year. We’ll be spending a few days here on our own before we connect with a tour of Portugal. The weeks leading up to this day have been filled to overflowing for me. Work has been busy. More than one trip to... Read More →

I recently observed two people carrying on a conversation through a plexiglass window at a bank. Granted, each had on a mask so it was not easy to understand what was being said. I realize in this era of masks how often I actually do aid my hearing by watching the other person’s lips so it was understandable that they were having difficulty. In this case, I was able to understand each person’s comments and could tell that they were not hearing each other since their comments were not responsive to the other person’s comments or questions. They were talking past each other and not able to hear what was being said even though only a small distance separated them. The scene reminded me how... Read More →

I recently saw a video about Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis’ promise made to a dying boy. The child was a huge Notre Dame fan and knew he only had a short time to live. He asked the coach if he could call that week’s game’s first offensive play since his hope was to be able to see the game on television before he died. Coach Weis agreed. The child asked that the first play be a pass to the right. Sadly, the young boy died the night before the game. When Notre Dame was up for its first offensive play, the Fighting Irish were inside Washington’s one yard line, meaning it would be extremely risky to pass. A coach would never take the chance to pass on that play for fear the opponents could... Read More →

HaShem has my number. When I seek Him, it is typically when I’m outdoors, in nature, and over the years He knows how to catch my attention. . . As you know, butterflies definitely have a place in my spiritual world communication hotline. I look at them as angelic messengers, working with the angels, unseen but nevertheless at work. And so it was with me yesterday, as I was experiencing an inordinately stressful chain of events. Just as I ended my last call, filled with frustration and worry, at that very moment, as I passed a window on the second floor of our home, a Monarch butterfly came to that window and flew alongside me, separated by the glass but clearly flying with me. I knew... Read More →

Last week, I shared with you my recent time of burden, with hesitation actually, since these encouragements are not to be about me, but rather, intended to be relatable. Such was my hope. I shared how God met me where I was and pulled me out of that time of despair. In response, I received an unusual number of emails from so many of you who felt the message was needed by you in your own personal time of struggle also happening in these days. Baruch HaShem for the courage to share! What I learned was how universally so many of us are in a time of suffering. Last week we reflected on how our Abba meets us where we are through Yeshua. In our moments of deepest challenges He lifts us up and... Read More →

In these days, so often we feel we have reached our limit. And then something more happens to help us recognize our weakness even further, our need for God, our challenges becoming even more than we thought we could handle when we were already at our limit. When times of worsening personal trials coincide with societal challenges, troubling headlines, we’re pushed even further. The question is pushed deeper into despair, or closer to God. This year was the thirteenth Camp Or L’Dor, our Messianic Jewish camp for teens. Hard to believe!! What a wonder! So many lives changed, not only those of our campers, but also, of our staff, our leaders, our volunteers, and the many Jewish and non... Read More →

As you know, I did not send out my usual Shabbat encouragement on Thursday evening. It was a rather overwhelming week of preparation for and travel to Camp Or L’Dor in the Poconos this year, work deadlines, Airbnb preparation for renting of our house while away, and most importantly, attention to a family member’s grave medical condition. I was not in the head or emotional space for my usual times with HaShem and as a result, my spiritual strength was sapped. So this morning at camp, as we held Shabbat services outdoors, as I prayed deeply the Amidah while looking at His magnificent created beauty, so many thoughts flooded my private prayers with Him about camp. Despite the many... Read More →

Do you ever just need to give yourself a good talking-to? It’s actually quite amazing! This morning I spent some time analyzing my feelings. Why was I not feeling loving toward someone? Was there an underlying sense of resentment that I was not acknowledging? And if so, why? Was there something we weren’t discussing, and if so, why not? Was I deep sixing my thoughts or feelings just to maintain the status quo? Was that helpful to the relationship? Did it just feel like it was when maybe it was making the relationship so much less than it could be? So as I was attending to house chores, I actually spoke out loud to myself, as if someone was talking to me and giving me another way to look... Read More →

As most of you know, I treasure, protectively guard, my time with HaShem when I take my daily jog or walk while listening to Messianic Jewish music. It is a part of my day like daily grooming, or regular meals, but with obviously elevated purposes and unique aspects. Prioritizing this intimate time of connection with the Divine is often very challenging, like today, when my day was already overscheduled with work commitments and meetings. Yet I knew that if I could carve out just 30 minutes of time with Him, I would be blessed with peace, insights, and encouragement. As I was noodling these thoughts around on my jog, I realized that some days I joyfully look forward to this time with... Read More →

Last week at services I spoke about our goal to come back to worship together in person at Ruach. As we work to regroup, rebuild, and recommit, and as I reconnected with our virtual community after services as well, I was reminded of what a larger discussion this topic really is. My mother, who was raised Orthodox Jewish, used to say to me that you can go into a field and pray to God. He is everywhere, though we prayed to Him “up there”. Then when I came to know Yeshua so many years later, my worship experience took on a new dimension, one that included intimacy with Yeshua, as well as awe of Him “up there”, somehow all as one. Up there and right here. He is omnipresent and the power of... Read More →

I read a heartwarming news article this week about a retiring “cop”, a story of the type we typically don’t find covered in mainstream media. Teddy Floyd, an Indian River County Sheriff’s Office deputy, is required to take a year off to stay qualified for his pension. After that, because of his love of community, he fully intends to return to work in the sheriff’s office. His philosophy of law enforcement was so inspirational to read that it was not surprising his powerful yet compassionate style was rooted in Scripture, which he unashamedly cited in the interview. In the interview Floyd recounts times of handling situations not by what they looked like, nor even by what he may have... Read More →

The past couple weeks we have been digging into the concept of faith. Such a deep concept but we are given so many small, practical ways to practice strengthening our faith muscles. While we were in Florida this year I had wanted to buy a sun shirt, the kind that are long sleeved, made of a quick dry material, and provide protection from UV rays. Our time there was almost up for the year and I had been patiently waiting but was unable to find what I wanted at our local store so felt a little discouraged. I felt like I didn’t get what I wanted. On our last day in Florida I went into a store that had apparel, jewelry, purses, hats, but not swimwear. Yet there on a shelf was one, just one,... Read More →

Last week we pondered Prince Philip’s crisis of faith alongside the historic landing of Apollo 11. We explored how our natural tendencies toward false realities and skewed perceptions were stumbling blocks in our relationship with HaShem. As I was telling my sister about this episode of “The Crown”, I walked across the hall to our spare bedroom. There on the floor, spotlighted in the streaming sunlight from the window was a cloth applique in the shape of the fish symbol for Yeshua. First, sewing is definitely not one of my gifts so I don’t recall having bought an applique, but let’s assume I did at some point. Second, I’d been in and out of that room multiple times over the past few... Read More →

I was recently watching “The Crown”, a miniseries primarily based on the life of Queen Elizabeth. The episode that gripped me highlighted Great Britain’s reaction to the launch of Apollo 11 which, as you know, led to Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. For many of us who can remember that moment, it was larger than life, imprinting a place in our life journey of a paradigm shifting memory. So when I watched Prince Philip’s (Queen Elizabeth’s husband’s) reaction to the moment by moment TV coverage, at first it was not surprising. He was mesmerized, not wanting to miss a moment, waiting with bated breath for each unfolding event and description of what was transpiring. What became... Read More →

Have you noticed words become trendy in our vocabulary, sometimes to the point that personally, I go out of my way not to use them. For example, “navigate” is such a great word. Yet several years back so many people were navigating around so many different types of situations, that I forced myself to think of other ways to express this thought – “work through”, “deal with”, “handle”. Granted, at the time, none of those alternatives seemed as good a choice on the merits. Yet I found myself relieved to have found a way to avoid saying the overly popularized word “navigate”. Similarly, the latest additions to my list of words I’m trying to avoid include “pivot”, “narrative” a... Read More →

As you know, I’ve spent the past several years’ winter months in Florida, a situation that rather organically evolved rather than ever planned from the outset. As every year has brought the revival of new family relationships down there, we have tended to stay longer each time. While there, as it has turned out, every visit has also offered up reasons that my being close to Florida family was more meaningful than could ever have been anticipated – times of sharing comfort at the loss of my aunt in 2019, a life changing diagnosis for my cousin in 2020, the challenges of healing for her in 2021. These times together have felt divinely planned. So I should not be surprised that this year’s... Read More →

Last week we marveled at the omnipresence of HaShem, magnificently even in the inner city of Chicago with no fanfare of beaches and trees. He literally meets us where we are and seeks us constantly. The question is how often do we seek Him? Sometimes we may feel very connected to our Abba and routinely pray and speak with Him. To do so we need to be intentional since our days are filled with busy-ness. As we get distracted from our spiritual centers while living our lives, our Abba just waits, or reaches out to us in ways that jostle us back to the deeper reality of His presence – the beautiful synchronicities, the wings of a butterfly, the magnificence of His creations, the beauty of a... Read More →

So many of you noticed I did not send out a Shabbat encouragement last week. First, please remember they will be when they will be. Second, however, thank you for letting me know how much they mean to you. Yes, last week was beyond my capacity to stay in long enough, or even find, that special time with Him. Even carving out daily prayers is not the same as those longer times really away from it all, in nature with my Abba, my Yeshua. Within 36 hours we had unpacked our Florida home, packed the RV, and cleaned our home to the level of welcome we wanted for our renters coming a few days after our departure. Then began the 1500 mile drive back to Massachusetts culminating in another 100+... Read More →

The Brood X cicadas are returning. Every 17 years like clockwork. A beautifully orchestrated time of literal raising from the seemingly dead while in their nymph stage, to rebirth, redemption, renewal, regeneration, as their primary reason to emerge from the ground is to co-create the next generation. Cicadas look a little scary. In reading about them I misread a statement that said “They are a real treat” as “They are a real threat”. One letter difference yet quite opposite meanings. They do look a little (well quite) scary, when in reality they are harmless, even to crops unless their sheer numbers crush vegetation due to the masses that will be returning. I am loving the science... Read More →

As I was again jogging on the beach this week, I was thinking about last Shabbat’s encouragement which reminded us that when we are fearful, busy, or distracted we often miss the bigger picture. At the very moment of that thought, I spotted a perfect conch shell, large and gorgeous, in the shallow waters (pictured here). Although there are many beautiful shells on our local beach, this type and quality is unusual. Our Abba had given me a rare, at least to me, beautiful evidence, a gift from His deep mystery, a beauty to treasure as a reminder of His Presence. By the perfect timing of finding the shell just as I had the thoughts of my last encouragement, it felt as though HaShem was... Read More →

It’s a beautiful Shabbat morning and I felt the call to spend deep time with HaShem even before our beautiful Shabbat services would start. The day is glorious! The beach is pristine. The ocean is calling. As I arrived, I marveled again at the beautiful movement of the terns at the ocean’s edge. The tiny birds with their choreographed ballet-like steps run toward the ocean as the waves go out and scurry back as the waves return to shore. In between those times the little guys with their long beaks peck at the sand for food, then flee quickly before the next waves come back toward the sandy beach. Their days are spent running forward, running back. This repeats incessantly, running... Read More →

People who live on this particular barrier island in Florida call it a little piece of Paradise. And yet, as everywhere, it has its challenges. This season I’ve been troubled as I’ve watched the falling out of two best friends. As the season wore on, their interpersonal difficulties affected others as we would notice their avoiding each other, and unfortunately, talking about each other to those around them. As some of us were being drawn into the drama, and as one of them now is facing life threatening illness, I wondered if I could help. So I tried to aid their reconciliation by urging them to try to talk it out. Perhaps some of the misunderstandings were clarified as we processed... Read More →

“Passover” – the word brings to mind the amazing saving of our people as the Angel of Death passed over the first born of the Israelites, not sparing those of the Egyptians. It was a seminal moment for our people, so defining, that we are to relive it annually, viscerally, as we recite the Haggadah at our seders. But passing over is not always a good thing, such as being passed over for a promotion. Or Sid will joke that the chocolate chips in that ice cream were passed over at 1000 feet, like hardly any were there. Perhaps a more serious passing over occurs when we fail to dig into life. One of my dearest friends lives life in that space, not digging in too deeply. She has had some... Read More →

Last week we processed the senseless killings in Atlanta. This week we’ve experienced more such tragedy in Boulder. So many theories, inevitable exploitive agendas, inexplicable inconsistencies, such irrational actions, perhaps that last description the most challenging. One of my readers of last week’s encouragement raised so many thought provoking insights, one to further explore as she put it is, “the elephant in the room”, that is, the failure of our society to properly identify and serve the needs of our mentally ill. In addition to the mass shootings, she ruminated on the heart breaking suicides of young people, the choices sometimes made that set young lives down dark paths in... Read More →

As much as we try to live healthily and optimistically, at times it is so difficult. Sometimes we struggle with personal times of sorrow. Sometimes such as now it’s impossible to ignore troubling headlines as we read of the murders in Atlanta particularly, although clearly not exclusive on this subject of headlines too painful to compartmentalize. When these times happen we pull out all our usual cope mechanisms, strong faith in God, of course, the primary source of our strength. Yet just as Yeshua brings the connection to us intimately, so too, we sometimes need to process further to make the divine solace tangible. No matter what the motivation for this terrible loss of eight lives,... Read More →