Changing Perspectives

“How can I know what G‑d wants me to do?” a woman once asked the Rebbe.

Over the years, my feline friends have taught me much more than I’ve ever taught them.

I began going through the stages of grief. I couldn’t function for the first day. When day three arrived, I stopped missing my phone, and that’s when the really crazy stuff happened.

When darkness encroaches, it is difficult to see through to the end of the tunnel. Darkness envelopes. Darkness engulfs. Darkness is relentless. It is difficult to pierce its veil, to peer through it and find light. But it is not impossible.

Appreciating our natural strengths and actively using them to affect our corner of the world helps us shift our focus from wishing we had what others have to being at peace with the person G-d created us to be.

I couldn’t understand why he never came to shul and why he didn’t send his children to a Jewish school. He was such a nice and sweet Jew. Why did he choose to be so uninvolved? This must be addressed, said my righteous indignation. I waited for an opportunity to “give him a piece of my mind.”

Labor Day has been around since 1882; after 129 years, perhaps it’s time to dust off the holiday, shine some light on it and figure out what it’s all about. Or, more importantly, what it can mean to us . . .

Rosh Hashanah is milestone for the entire world and everyone is welcome to dip a piece of apple in honey and celebrate a New Year.

From a distance I watch my youngest daughter wobbling clumsily on my highest heels, attempting to find her balance. She looks as though she might topple over at any moment

"First read the article," I say. But the affinity for the red pen is many an editor's Achilles heel. And the tendency to focus on the details at the expense of the larger picture affects us all...

I stared at her intently as I drew closer and waited to see how she would react. Suddenly, the girl looked up, noticed my gaze, and put her hand up to her cheek, “I know, my face is really dirty, isn’t it?”

We can all think of a few people that we would describe as being "impossible." These are individuals who push the wrong buttons, irritate us to no end and annoy us whenever we talk to them.

How would life be if we simply explained its occurrences in a positive way?