Years ago, when my children were little and I was zealous about breastfeeding, my eldest son and I took a trip to a local dairy farm. I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me until that moment, but the farmer explained how we get milk to drink: a cow must be impregnated and then her baby must be taken… Read more →
Month: August 2016
That Kind of Love
He was asleep as I nestled into the sheets, but he sensed me there as he has for the past 10 years. So he rolled over toward me and slipped his little arm around me, holding on tight. Eventually sleep took over and he went one way while I went another, but for a good 20 minutes or so, I… Read more →
A Lion, A Witch & A Wardrobe: Our Family Trip to Stratford
The theater was spectacular, with regal spotless carpet beneath our feet and a glowing chandelier strung high above the main floor. On the stage, large screens and handmade sets alternated, with actors moving the evergreens and standing behind them rather than stage-hands designed to be invisible but quite easily seen. The lion, Aslan, representative of the son of God himself,… Read more →
Let’s Truly Live: The Tragically Hip, a funeral and a lot of love
Last night was the final concert of the Tragically Hip in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario. Tickets were $10. Wearing a denim jacket, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hugged lead singer Gord Downie, whose diagnosis of terminal brain cancer inspired the distinctly Canadian band to launch its farewell tour, which ended last night. Read about it here. The concert was… Read more →
Who Owns Grief?
On Sunday, I will attend the funeral of a woman I have known for most of my life. I’ve written about how sad it is to lose a young mother, at mid-life, and how I just cannot make sense of a death like this. But some might say that I have no business at her funeral because, to be honest,… Read more →
What Is a Life Worth?
I learned just a few minutes ago that a childhood friend has passed away. Gone from this life to wherever we go next, and I just can’t believe her time on earth with all of us is over. Yesterday, over lunch with my father, he told me about his 60th high school reunion last week, and the board of names… Read more →
A Day of Mourning? I Don’t Think So.
Today is a day on the Jewish calendar that I have never liked, and as I’ve grown in my confidence as a free-thinking Jew, I’ve decided not to observe it. Still, many people revere Tisha b’Av, the ninth of the Hebrew month of Av, and go through all the rituals of its presence. They fast for 25 hours, from sundown… Read more →