Walking the dog this morning, I was struck by the suddenly mild temperatures, the birds singing just past dawn and the light fragrance of honeysuckle on the air. Within a few minutes, I had a gentle smile on my face and wondered why I don?t spend even more time outdoors. No matter what may be […]
There?s no holiday literally greener than St. Patrick?s Day. When I was growing up, if you weren?t wearing green on March 17th, you were guaranteed to get pinched ? hard — by your classmates for pretty much the entire day. It wasn?t fun. To this day, I?m still a little paranoid about not wearing green […]
Yesterday marked the first day of Lent ? the 40-day Christian season of fasting and prayer leading up to Easter. Traditionally, this is a time of penitence and self-denial commemorating the 40 days Jesus is said to have spent in the desert being tempted by Satan. It may seem strange for some who?s Jewish ? […]
Diwali is the festival of lights in the Hindu calendar, falling on 28 October this year. Homes are prepared to welcome Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Abundance, and enthusiastic celebrations are planned, including fireworks and lots of lights to brighten the home. In recent years, however, concerns have been raised about the environmental impact […]
We?ve just passed the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, when many Jews construct a sukkah ? ?hut? or ?booth? ? reminiscent of the shelters in which the ancient Hebrews dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert following their flight from Egypt. Some Jews will spend the entire week-long Sukkot observance living inside the […]
Several years ago, I was involved in a book study of Glenda Green?s ?Love Without End.? Somehow the topic came around to clearing out household clutter and re-homing items we no longer wanted or needed. That?s when our reading group leader, Deborah, passed along some wisdom that had helped her: Never own more than you […]
The Days of Awe ? Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the days in between ? give us an annual opportunity to examine our words, actions and intentions of the previous year, and to make amends for any wrongs we have committed ? to ensure that our names are written and sealed into the Book of […]
