Last July, in a blog titled “Wisdom from the Stars,” I announced that I’d decided to study astrology by enrolling in an entry-level class at the online astrology school run by my friend, Debra Silverman, who is an extraordinary therapist, astrologer and advisor to many celebrities and thought leaders. I promised to report my findings in a future post… and here we are!
Read MoreFresh running water is something many people living in developed countries take for granted. When we turn on the tap, water magically appears. If we want hot water, we simply twist a handle.
Read MoreThis week marks the one year anniversary of the publication of Quest for Eternal Sunshine—A Holocaust Survivor’s Journey from Darkness to Light, a book based on an unfinished manuscript my father, Mendek Rubin, left behind when he died in 2012. The four years I spent researching and completing the book transformed my life in significant and unexpected ways.
Read MoreA writer, poet, filmmaker, actor, dancer, civil rights activist, and much more, her list of “firsts” is very varied and impressive. From being the first black female streetcar driver in San Francisco when she was sixteen (her “dream job”—she loved the uniforms), to the first female inaugural poet in U.S. presidential history in 1993, Maya Angelou was a brave pioneer.
Read MoreDays of Remembrance for victims of the Holocaust falls on April 8th this year. During its first commemoration in 1979, President Carter spoke these powerful words: “We must remember the terrible price paid for bigotry and hatred, and also the terrible price paid for indifference and for silence… We must recognize that when any fellow human being is stripped of humanity—when any person is turned into an object of repression; tortured or defiled or victimized by terrorism or prejudice or racism—then all human beings are victims, too.”
Read MoreI took my first writing class at Esalen Institute in Big Sur in the fall of 2012, a few months after my father died. It changed my life. The remarkable writing teacher, Laura Davis, told us at the outset of the workshop that if we plan on writing anything autobiographical, we need to give up the hope that our family stories will feel accurate to everyone involved.
Read MoreMy new grandson, Elián Ruizquez-Goodman, was born late at night on January 30th. My daughter Marea labored for forty-eight hours to bring her ten-pound baby into this world. Although arduous, she gave birth in the comfort of her home, surrounded by loving, skilled support.
Read MoreI live on a farm on the central coast of California with two small groves of towering redwood trees. I visit one every morning when I walk my dogs, stopping to stand amidst the trees, tilting my head up to look at the sky through their branches.
Read MoreIt’s often said that we don’t need to move to India to live in an ashram in order to get enlightened—all the opportunities we ever need are available right at home, in the midst of our daily lives. For many of us, as we approach a full year of pandemic restrictions, these opportunities for self-realization and growth abound.
Read MoreMy father, Mendek Rubin, wasn’t just a wise inventor and philosopher, he was also a man who truly loved to have fun. He frequently shared silly jokes with my sister, Ruthie, and me, but what amused us the most weren’t the actual jokes—it was his delight in telling them.
Read MoreInternational Holocaust Remembrance Day will be observed on January 27 to honor the six million European Jews who were exterminated by the Nazis and their accomplices. These official remembrance days are of tremendous importance, but I personally never need a reminder. As the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, a day doesn’t go by when I don’t think about that horrific time in history. The Holocaust lives inside of me, and my whole being is perpetually trying to come to terms with it.
Read MoreBeing our true selves, not the person we believe we should be, can take a lot of courage. Most of us were raised to behave a certain way by being praised for “good” behavior and shamed for “bad” behavior. That’s how we were taught to conform to the traditions and expectations of our family and community—to “follow the rules.”
Read MoreMy father, Mendek Rubin, grew up in a devout Hassidic community in a small town in Poland where strict adherence to ancient Jewish laws and customs defined virtually every aspect of life.
Read MoreWelcoming in the New Year in the midst of such challenging times inspires me to look back at 2020 with an eye for important lessons learned.
Read MoreMy birthday was last Thursday, and one of the gifts I asked my husband for was to support my wish to go the entire day without hearing any news. I hadn’t taken a full break from the news since February, and I was long overdue!
Read MoreI recently read my grandchildren a book by Leo Lionni called Frederick, a story about a little field mouse who, instead of working hard to gather corn, nuts and wheat for the winter months like the other mice in his family, just sits on a large stone gazing at the countryside in contemplation. The first time he is asked reproachfully why he isn’t working, he replies, “I do work. I gather sun rays for the cold dark winter days.”
Read MoreI’ve been reading a wonderful (and very timely) new book about healing from prolonged stress and trauma called, Widen the Window—Training Your Brain and Body to Thrive During Stress and Recover from Trauma, by Elizabeth Stanley, PhD.
Read MoreOne of my wise father’s most thought-provoking assertions was that there are no bad people, only bad ideas. As someone who endured a lifetime of violent antisemitism before suffering three years of abuse as a starved slave laborer in Nazi concentration camps, his statement about human nature is even more surprising.
Read MoreDuring the many weeks this summer when the air in Northern California was choked with thick grey smoke from the wildfires raging all around us, the air wasn’t safe to breath and entire days remained dark as twilight. Some of those weeks had record-setting temperatures which made my house stifling.
Read MoreDuring this challenging time in history, my father’s philosophy and healing journey have provided a tremendous anchor and inspiration for me. Despite enduring inconceivable horrors, brutality and loss during the Holocaust, my father was eventually able to live a life of deep peace and joy.
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