Simple Thoughts of Gratitude on the Anniversary of 9-11

I woke today at 5 a.m. in California worrying. “I should get up and check the news,” I thought. “I should be sure everything is okay in New York.” Both my children are in New York. But I don’t like to focus on the negative.I try not to worry (although I’m a worrier and was [...]

Memories are a Blessing and for Blessing

Joannie Rochette grieving after her Olympic performance in Vancouver.

It’s a Jewish tradition when someone dies to say, “May his or her memory be for blessing.” The actual honorific is “of blessed memory,” a translation of the Hebrew “zikhrono livrakha” (m.)  or “zikhronah livrakha” (f.). It’s an odd type of statement really. I tend to say, “May his or her memory be a blessing.” [...]