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How to Eliminate Bad Moods
How to Eliminate Bad Moods My college roommate was a complete bitch. I’m grateful for her rotten personality, sarcasm and mean spirit. Michelle was all the motivation I needed to spend a lifetime in a good mood. She scared the crabbiness right out of me; I’m rarely moody anymore. I was getting ready for the long holiday weekend, and I was in a terrific mood. I got...
Your Get Up and Go, Got Up and Left
Your Get Up and Go, Got Up and Left It reads this way: "Blessed are you oh God, for giving me renewed energy for life." That’s my favorite morning blessing. I am exhausted at the end of each day, and occasionally even during it, but I...
God Doesn’t Make Junk
God Doesn’t Make Junk When was the last time you learned something new? I hope it was recently and I hope it happens often. Finding out an interesting tidbit, that you just can’t wait to share, is a real day brightener. Last night was not one of those times. I was attracted by a stellar title:
One People, One Purpose, One Prayer for Unity
One People, One Purpose, One Prayer for Unity Jews are very clannish people. I know; I am one. I got confirmation from a welcome source this past Sabbath. Rabbi Michael Melchior was a guest Rabbi at the
Portion Control
Portion Control I would pay a lot of money for a little amount of caramel corn. I was cutting through the food court, when my nose took me past
Living on Your Own Terms
Living on Your Own Terms It’s not for everybody, but it works for us. During the winter months, I live in Florida and my husband David commutes from Chicago. I’m not your typical seasonal resident. I’m not playing mah jong or bridge with my condo neighbors, and I haven’t attended a single charity ball. I’m a workaholic like my husband. And somehow we manage to eek out...
Women Handling Heartbreak: Divorce Rehab
Women Handling Heartbreak: Divorce Rehab “Women, how do you handle heartbreak?” That was the lead-in to a Palm Beach Post article that caught my eye. It’s...
Stiletto Stoners Prayer
Stiletto Stoners Prayer I was having lunch with a new business friend
Really? Powered by God
Really? Powered by God
Everyday Heroes
Everyday Heroes There are two kinds of people; those who own up and those who don’t. Post-election remarks separate the real winners and losers.
A Bird Doesn’t Sing Because it Has an Answer
A Bird Doesn't Sing Because it Has an Answer A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, a bird sings because it has a song. This is a Chinese proverb that showed up on a very pretty t-shirt, designer
Starting Point to a Better Tomorrow
Starting Point to a Better Tomorrow I remember the exact moment it hit me. I was in Marshall Field’s riding a down...
To Jane Goodall: You’re Not Getting Older, You’re Getting Better
To Jane Goodall: You’re Not Getting Older, You’re Getting Better Jane Goodall said that she had 40 years of success, and a lot of what she...
Great Minds Discuss Ideas
Great Minds Discuss Ideas "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." -Eleanor Roosevelt I suppose I fit all three categories: I often discuss ideas, events and people. There was mention in my circle, of a prominent spiritual leader and his wife who are having...
Three Ways to End Family Fighting
Three Ways to End Family Fighting Seems to me, everybody around me is talking about it: The most intense fighting is in families. When you love someone, have a long history, and are stuck with them – that’s when your fights escalate beyond mild disagreement. This was the pre...
A Jewish Girl’s Guide to Choosing a Church
A Jewish Girl’s Guide to Choosing a Church A Jew walks into a church. …sounds like an opening line to a joke, but it’s not; I decided to go to church on Sunday. They call me Chief of Pray, I’m the founder of Prayables.com, a multi-faith prayer community for women. Every once in a while, I test my theory and go offline to pray with people from different religions. Choosing a church to attend was my first task....
How to Fight Fatigue
How to Fight Fatigue Fibromyalgia, move over— there are women who refuse to be tired! I just don’t happen to be one of them right now. I have no problem...
Sacred Doesn’t Have to be Serious
Sacred Doesn’t Have to be Serious He found a letter among her things; it was addressed to her three boys. It was written when her handwriting was still perfect; before her health declined and her hands began to shake. Their...
It’s Not the Thought that Counts
It’s Not the Thought that Counts It’s the thought that counts. Add that to the list of propaganda and lies you grew up with. Actually, it’s not the thought that counts. It’s what you do that counts. Since last Wednesday, I’ve been thinking about Irwin. His beloved wife Barbara passed away last week after fighting a losing battle with cancer. Barb and Irwin are part of my
Texting in Company
Texting in Company “Don’t call me unless you’re bleeding.” Those were my mother’s infamous words, used when her and my dad would go out for the night and me and my brothers were left home on our own. In the days, before 93% of the U.S. population carried a cell phone, it was a big deal to get a phone call. See, there was once a time when going out with...
Work at Home: Random Jobs
Work at Home: Random Jobs My husband’s partner, Allen, framed all of his business cards from the different jobs he’s had in his 30+ year career. It’s a great conversation starter and really shows his work history in a creative and visual way. If I did the same, I could wallpaper a small amphitheater and still have...
How to Pass the Chuckle Test
How to Pass the Chuckle Test I needed a sure-fire way to keep me from ruining my son’s
The Ultimatum
The Ultimatum I met Lindsay when she was 28 years old and in crisis. We both worked for the same software consulting firm; we designed marketing databases for sales teams. Lindsay and I spent long days together, huddled in a client’s conference room, figuring out how to turn a 3.5 floppy disc into a sales machine...
Hannukah Stories That Say Merry Christmas
Hannukah Stories That Say Merry Christmas I am unsentimental to a fault. I brag about not wanting gifts and I rarely give them. I just don’t have the warm, fuzzy memories of opening presents and feeling delighted, or giving the perfect present that makes someone squeal. I remember my disappointment when I got a brand-new blue Columbia bike f...
What I Learned from the Boiler Room
What I Learned from the Boiler Room Urgency. If you have a sales background like me, you know how important it is to create a sense of urgency. You never want to hear, “I'll think about it.” If they’re thinking about it, you haven’t convinced them. I am totally convinced. As I sit here dealing with deadlines, I am not even thinking anymore. I’m sold. I must...
Drugstore Make-Up
Drugstore Make-Up It was my first time. The very first time I paid to check baggage on an airplane. I can usually get away with a carry-on. This weekend I was travelling to attend a wedding— that meant a fancy dress and lots of other stuff to help me look bee-u-tee-full for all of the festivities. As I was packing, I threw my...
How Many Marriages End in Divorce?
How Many Marriages End in Divorce? Big doings in the U.K., William and Kate announced their upcoming marriage, and re-ignited Princess Di fever once again. For women of a certain age who loved Princess Di, getting ready for a new pretty young lady to join the royal family, is a bittersweet moment. “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit...
Spirituality vs. Religion
Spirituality vs. Religion I wish I had a nickel, for every time someone said to me, “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual.” I wouldn’t be rich, but I’d have a purse full of nickels! Religion tends to get a bad rap; what with wars being waged in its name, and too many nutcases declaring themselves a church, then picketing at funerals. Spirituality on the other hand, conjures up images of...
The Healing Hour
The Healing Hour I hope I didn’t blow it. I was a guest this weekend, on a radio show with a Muslim audience. I prepared for the show by selecting a prayer reading that talked about women of diversity gathering together. What I wanted the audience to know was how wonderful and how unique it is, to pray in a community with women from different faiths. I’m...
Overcome the Overwhelming
Overcome the Overwhelming Dreams are weird and they usually don’t mean much. Most of the time I forget ‘em before I even brush my teeth, but it’s mid-morning and I’m still thinking about last night’s dream-time dilemma: There were four cleaning ladies trying to clean my house, and it kept getting dirtier. It’s plain, I’m dreaming out my frustration. There are two things going on: 1) My living room rug...
Six Ways to Pray
Six Ways to Pray HOLY COW - I have been running with the buffaloes and it’s a stampede! It started out innocently enough. Prayables ran an ad through the Moms Network. It’s a very nice group of ladies who blog about mommy life, coupons, crafts and just about anything else you can think of, that...
Generous Giving with No Strings Attached
Generous Giving with No Strings Attached There’s not too much I get by snail mail these days. Many of our bills are paperless, and nobody writes letters anymore. Catalogs and advertisements still pour in, but they don’t count....
Bathroom Prayer
Bathroom Prayer It started out innocently enough, a question about prayer from our Prayables Facebook page. “Where’s the strangest place you pray?” It was our biggest flurry of comments so far. And the winner is… the bathroom! Not a big surprise to me. In this era of multi-tasking and luxurious bathrooms, it stands to reason that the place to pray is the place we...
40 Seconds to a Life of Purpose
40 Seconds to a Life of Purpose Oh, how we all love to read story about the down-on-their-luck family, who crafted a Christmas tree out of toilet paper tubes and gave out oranges to the kids as presents. Ever notice how those heart-warming stories are always set in the distant past? We’re living in a time of high...
The Breast of Friends
The Breast of Friends The shower is the best place to check for lumps. Once a month I take my two fingers and go round my breasts in a circular motion, just like I was taught. I do my self-exam twelve...
Three Ways to be Perfectly Satisfied
Three Ways to be Perfectly Satisfied Satisfaction comes from three places: your mind, your body and your soul. 1. You can be satisfied intellectually. Let’s say you learn something new – how wonderful to finally get it! Maybe you’re challenged on a long-held belief. The arguments and discussion from a different point of view,...
Prayer for Thanksgiving
Prayer for Thanksgiving What if Thanksgiving isn't really that special after all? If you're the kind of person who wakes up every day and prays, counts your blessings and gives thanks for the bounty in your life; do you need a holiday to do what you already do? How 'bout getting together with the family? Your family has no "dys" in front of their "functional" and you all get together for...
Good Job! Who Really Needs Praise?
Good Job! Who Really Needs Praise? I’m not really around little kids that often in the winter months. That’s when I live in West Palm Beach Florida, in a condo, next to a University, and close to the business district. I work from home and I don’t get out much. My most regular outings are when I go to synagogue.
Food, Friends, and Fulfillment: The Secret Sauce
Food, Friends, and Fulfillment: The Secret Sauce I’m searching for the secret sauce. Like a great chef— I’m trying to find the recipe that will keep my guests coming back for more. I thought about it again last...
Personal Peace: Progress Not Perfection
Personal Peace: Progress Not Perfection This morning there was an email exchange between my co-workers, Ed and
Showing a Patriotic Spirit
Showing a Patriotic Spirit In my lifetime, I’ve heard countless stories about violations of human rights and civil rights. I’ve used my checkbook and my voice to support causes that uphold the political freedom of an individual, a group and a nation. Yet...
What Makes Chicks Tick: The Politics of Strong Women
What Makes Chicks Tick: The Politics of Strong Women Ch-ching! Money and politics, it’s that time of the year in America. The polls are open on the first Tuesday of November. Here’s what’s so striking in the 2010 mid-term elections: The personal
Going Against Traffic: Culture Clash and a Two Way Street
Going Against Traffic: Culture Clash and a Two Way Street As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, "Herman, I just heard on the news that there's...
All Creatures Great and Small: James Herriot
All Creatures Great and Small: James Herriot When you read a great book, it’s like being in the time and place of the story and becoming friends with its characters. That’s where I’ve been the last few weeks: Yorkshire England, in the 1940’s, with country veterinarian James Herriot.
Shimon Schocken on Tolerance and Hope
Shimon Schocken on Tolerance and Hope There’s something about riding a bicycle that brings to mind total freedom. One of my earliest memories is; when my Dad took the training wheels off my first two-wheeler. I remember riding around the block, all by myself. Maybe the memory is really in my imagination, but I still get a thrill when I t...
Recycling for a Higher Power
Recycling for a Higher Power Do as you’re told. Nobody says that to me anymore; I’m a grown-up now. Of course there are rules to follow in private and public life, and it helps that what I like to do isn’t illegal or immoral. It’s interesting that a...
The Tree Looks Taller and Other Mentor-Mentee Topics
The Tree Looks Taller and Other Mentor-Mentee Topics Groupon is the fastest growing internet...
Prayer for President Obama
Prayer for President Obama Here’s why I am a terrible activist: I’m overly open-minded. When I try to rally around a cause, I see both sides of the issue. In the news, there was a very big hullabaloo over extending the
Leaving a Legacy or Cooking with Grandma
Leaving a Legacy or Cooking with Grandma If you’ve ever seen a five-year old help grandma cook, you’ll know what I mean. Picture the cute little girl or boy, with grandma’s apron tied around the waist, doubled over, and grazing the floor. Norman Rockwell could have painted...
A Jew Writes a Christmas Letter
A Jew Writes a Christmas Letter Holiday Update 2010 Dear Friends and Family, Well, we made it through another year and here are some of the highlights. David thought he had another attack of gout, this time in his ankle, but when it didn’t go away after taking the Allopurinol, he finally went to see a podiatrist who...
Sisters by Choice, Sisters in Spirit
Sisters by Choice, Sisters in Spirit I was talking to Barbara Montiero, a super-sharp top New York literary agent. I’m trying to convince her to represent the new Prayables book, Personal P...
