Due to the peculiarities of the Jewish calendar, the minor festival of lights known as Hanukkah can be any time between mid-November and late December. This year, Hanukkah and Christmas happen to fall in the same week, coming at the darkest time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, where both holidays originated. Hanukkah is … Continue reading Sharing the Light

Image by ArtCoreStudios from Pixabay December is a time when many people gather with their families, whether they celebrate a major holiday in that month or not. Children are off school, work has slowed down, the nights are long and dark and cold. It’s a good time to be warmed in each other’s love and … Continue reading Why Their Opinions Don’t Matter

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to achieve healthy ageing. We all hope to live a long and healthy life, especially if we have experienced the suffering and untimely passing of family members who were not able to achieve that.  In particular, I’m thinking about my mother, who passed away at … Continue reading The Components of Healthy Ageing

I saw this meme today in a Facebook group that I follow, and it really struck me how important it is. Not because people shouldn’t celebrate and relax in December, but because it really brings home that a true vision doesn’t stop. Of course, it’s important to rest and refresh your strength, but don’t just … Continue reading December is the New January

On Sunday night, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers put an end to a 29-year championship drought. They won the Grey Cup, and the city of Winnipeg went wild. If you aren’t a Canadian, you probably don't know who the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are, or what the Grey Cup is, for that matter. Even if you are … Continue reading About Football and Gratitude

I have become a big fan of Rachel Hollis lately - if you haven’t read her bestseller books, Girl, Wash Your Face, and Girl, Stop Apologizing, I really recommend that you pick them up. While she is mostly speaking to women, her words can be very helpful to men as well. The other day I … Continue reading Talking About Joy

Yesterday, my adopted country, Canada, commemorated the end of the Great War, the war to end all wars, on November 11th, 1918 - a day known in Canada, as it is in the UK, as Remembrance Day. In the US, it is known as Veterans' Day. On Remembrance Day, we all wear poppies on our … Continue reading About Remembrance

Image by Ulrike Mai from Pixabay Everyone needs a coach, even (or especially) people who are coaches themselves. It's so easy to see what others need to change in their lives to have success, but seeing it in ourselves is much harder. So I have a coach - more than one, in fact. I am … Continue reading The Language of Struggle

Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay As you read this, the door has closed on the three-week period known to Jews worldwide as the High Holy Days. In Israel, they are referred to simply as the chagim, or holidays. Most people have heard of Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of … Continue reading That Mythical Time

If you are anything like me, you like to set goals and chase after them. There’s a lot to be said for setting a plan, choosing a course of action and putting in the time, leading to the satisfaction of seeing results. Consistency of action is a major component of this process, of course - … Continue reading Dealing with Conflicting Priorities