The words of a modern-day Prophet

The evening of the Monday on which you’ll be reading this posting marks the start of the Rosh Hashanah holiday on the Jewish calendar, which in turn begins what is called the Days of Awe – the ten days till the end of Yom Kippur during which one repents for the sins one has committed during the past year and charts an improved course for the year ahead. At least that’s the way I have...

Recently, a dear friend wrote to ask for guidance about how to approach a new stage she’s entered that involves dealing with the pains that beset an aging body. I think the two of you might have a fair amount of wisdom and maybe medical expertise – – navigating medical expertise —around the physical challenges of aging. Although the note was addressed to both of us, Rosellen has a story very...

It’s the day after Labor Day, and I’m not alone among my Chicago neighbors who fear that the date marks the beginning of a promised invasion by ICE agents, determined to step up the pace of arrests and deportations, as well as the deployment of National Guard troops to stamp out the supposed epidemic of rampant crime. By the time you read this next Monday, we will know the full extent of Trump’s...

Today is the Yahrzeit – the anniversary — of my sister Lorraine’s death. She died 24 years ago, just two weeks before the 9/11 disaster that she did not live to see, small compensation for the tragic loss for her husband, her two sons and me. She was five and a half years older than me, a large enough gap to preclude real closeness, despite the awkwardness of having shared a bedroom until...