Dr. Sharon King created a pithy little spiritual self-assessment and coaching tool for midlife women modeled after the physical exam we’re all supposed to have at this point in our lives. (Thankfully, there’s no mention of a colonoscopy in Dr. King’s booklet!) The Spiritual Fitness Checkup for the 50something Woman: Ten Steps Toward Midlife Spiritual…

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah, the Jewish Feast of Dedication. (To learn a bit more about the holiday, click here, here or here.) The miracle of the oil spoke of a greater reality. The Temple was once again dedicated to proclaiming the glory of God on the earth in 165 B.C. after it…

I’ve dragged myself into mid-December mode the last few weeks, buying gifts and addressing cards. I am a little out of sync because of my upcoming shoulder surgery; it hasn’t been easy to skip past Thanksgiving and Chanukah, and without passing go, head directly to Christmas. I feel a little clumsy about this. The rhythms…

I remember when one of my sons came home a few years ago with an armload of vinyl LP’s. “That’s dinosaur technology,” I said.  He disagreed. He loved the warm sound (complete with a few pops and crackles), the cover art, the liner notes and the experience of holding a piece of the artist in…

I remember the stage of life where a wave of “We’re pregnant!” announcements would sweep through my circle of friends and acquaintances. It seemed that babies came in clusters, like sweet little grapes.  One of the joys of being a grandparent: walking in the woods and swapping stories Well, I’ve now come to the part…

The prayer Jesus prayed at the conclusion of the final Seder he shared with his disciples has been debated, parsed, over-theologized (no, that’s not a real word), misapplied and ignored.  And it has gone largely unanswered. True, some of us have experienced some appetizer-sized moments of brilliant oneness with other believers, but for the most…