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Showing posts from April, 2019

Carol "The Cat Lady"

Carol responded to my request for moving boxes.  She called and graciously offered boxes I could use to prepare for my upcoming move.  I went this morning to pick up the proffered boxes and found so much more. Carol is an elderly widow (about my age but whose allowed her hair to be naturally gray--when will I find the courage) living near me in Surprise, Arizona.  Instead of an "active adult community" she and her husband opted to retire in a multi-generational family development.  She owns a lovely 4 bedroom home on a quiet residential street where she is quite possibly the only retired person, and now a widow.  But Carol is not isolated.  She knows everyone in her community, has befriended a Columbian woman two decades younger who calls every day to check on Carol's well begin.  The neighborhood children all know her because she has a garage full of toys.  When I asked her, she told me that since she doesn't want to always be giving the childr...

Counting the Omer

Counting the Omer is a Jewish tradition amongst followers of the Kabbalah.  It consists of 49 days of mindfulness beginning with the second night of Passover and ending with Shavuout, the receiving of the torah.  I've never done it before, Although I've attempted, begun in good faith, and then dropped away.  Let's see how it works this time.  I'm going to follow along with Rabbi Ted Falcon, a humanist rabbi from the Seattle, Washington area who has a large on-line presence. From Rabbi Falcon: The Focus for the First Week Chesed : The Endless Flow of Loving Kindness beginning the evening of Saturday, April 20   Chesed  is the symbolic place where the energies of Lovingkindness flow without limit.  This flow of Life-force will later manifest as both positive and negative feelings, but at this point the flow precedes any polarity. This week, I appreciate the abundant outpouring of possibility   Day 1 Focus, beginning the e...