Yael Nehama

I am in pain, much like most of the United States is in pain. It is of a surety that every parent hugged their dear children tighter yesterday. My heart exploded from the heart ache and tears flowed this morning for the parents who lost children and all the families and friends affected. Life will simply never be the same for them. Never. And there are no answers. None to satisfy at least. And then I see this. An offering of, I imagine, a very well meaning person trying to make a statement. I have to be honest and tell you how much I dislike this saying every time I have seen it. I dislike it with a passion and anger that makes me feel like I want to scream at the person quoting it and shake my fists at the  heavens. There are many levels of absurdity to me in this statement  but I am going to simply rant about what I see. Regardless of whether G-d is 'allowed' in schools or not,  to have Him saying violence occurs because He is not allowed in, strikes me as a ...

I. love. coffee. Mind you, it's not just a mere get myself into wake-up mode and move kinda love. No, it's more of a "I worship at your altar, oh goddess caffeina" kinda love. I enjoying the ritual of preparing the coffee and I eagerly await the first glub-glubs of the brewing process. When I begin to hear the gentle trickle of the coffee entering the urn, my excitement increases knowing soon I shall be partaking of the holy elixir. Eagerly I pour a cup adding just a pinch of sugar and cream so as not to disturb the wonderful bitterness of my first morning mug. Breathing it all in I drink...and I drink...and I drank until the coffee seemed to no longer be my friendly goddess but more of a annoying lover who certainly tasted lovely and dark at first but then began to slowly grow more and more bitter and eventually became an upset in my stomach. Oh, the joys of a sensitive stomach. So, what's a girl to do? I really and truly enjoy coffee. I tried tea, chai a...

You could chalk it up to the stars I was born under. Cancerian/Moonchildren are known to love their homes dearly, though some could call it a simlple, albeit minor case of agoraphobia. I myself just relish the warm and snug feeling of my home. One would imagine that as much as I love my home, homemaking would be my easiest and finest joy. Well, it is...now. When I was younger it was not, not by a long shot. In my early days of motherhood I lacked the skills and the balance to raise children and keep a tidy home. Since I could not do both, I focused on raising my children because as the poem goes: "The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow, for children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow. So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep. I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep." That was my story then. And it made sense, but there were many times thankfully where I could get my house in order, especially as my children grew older. But truth be told, I nev...

“There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time this expression is unique and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it! It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open." ~ Martha Graham graphistolage.com Martha Graham spoke these words from her Dancer’s heart. You are a unique expression of the Divine. A facet, if you will, of the Diamond of Divinity’s love for the world. You were born as a gift to the planet and the human race and it is your responsibility to express that gift. By being you, a free and wild human being, you gift the world with that Love. Your work is not to figure it out, or to encumber yourself with a label or persona, your work is to simply be you. You in all of you...

I am a multi-faceted "peace-nik". So what does that mean? Well, think of a woman heavily influenced by images of John Lennon in front of the Statue of Liberty and the choruses of "Give Peace a Chance" ringing in her head. Think of a teenager racing up to a friend in the halls of her high school hands held high in peace symbol/victory sign, exclaiming "MAKE LOVE NOT WAR" every day of her sophomore year. Think of an eight grader engaging in a screaming match with her teacher on the injustice of dropping the bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those images are still burned in my mind so clearly, I still feel the pain in my heart as when I first saw the video in class that day. Now, think of a young woman who witnessed Vets returning home from a war they had valiantly fought in and were thanked with protests signs, obscenities and claims they were murderers and baby killers. Vets who came home from nightmarish conditions, who the government deemed old enough to ...

That just because something is good and wonderful that doesn't mean it's not painful. That just because it painful, that doesn't mean I don't want to feel. Pain and sorrow, joy and bliss can be wrapped up into one beautiful package and I owe it to myself to feel it all. To pause in the moment and rejoice and mourn. That intermingled in the laughter and the dance are tears. It is okay to cry and feel the sadness. It is okay to feel the ache in your heart and soul. And it's okay to go right on dancing and while feeling it all. Birth Art by Nancy Bright

Well, it seems Autumn has finally arrived in all of her golden, red, and orange splendor. Granted, Philly is in no way Lancaster County or Maine :::sigh::: but we do have a few trees around here and they are quickly changing their clothing for their last dance before Winter. The weather has also cooled down and the sun has returned after a very rainy last days of Sukkot. I'm ready for the sukkah to come down and return the sunlight to my home. Once I know the shach has dried I will start that process. A bit sad for me, I really do enjoy Sukkot and the removal of the sukkah means re-entry back into the 'real' world with work and responsibilities. I have to try to keep in mind the bit of chizuk (encouragement) I received on Simchat Torah. We rejoice when we enter the sukkah for obvious reasons, (think fun outside harvest festival and good food, woot!) but then we are also supposed to rejoice when we leave. (huh??) Well, the trick here, I was told, is to take with you all the ...