Are You Ready To Get High?
One of the main messages in my book is how ancient Jewish wisdom applies to all modern families, and this is never truer than during the fall holiday season, the month of Elul, which is a time of repentance in preparation for the High Holidays. Judaism gives us plenty of opportunities to improve ourselves throughout the year, but during the 10-day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, known as the Days of Awe, it’s time to kick into high gear.
Honoring 11th Anniversary of 911
Under the bright blue cloudless sky, waving American flags line the parking lot of the high school up the street. It’s a beautiful sunny morning and the flags are there to remind us that today is September 11, 2012, the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I also hear church bells ringing loudly, cars honking, birds chirping, children laughing, and airplanes roaring above as if my senses are on high alert.  It’s an ordinary day, but it’s not.
First Lady Commands DNC
When military mom Elaine Brye introduced Michelle Obama on day one of the DNC, it was clear that the mom vote set the precedent for winning the election.
Brye announced, “Wow! What’s a mom like me doing in a place like this? I’m not even a political person. But what I am is a military mom. My husband and I are so proud of our five kids. One each in the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marines. Our youngest is still in high school, and yes — we’re hoping he’ll join the Coast Guard. They are a mom’s most precious treasures.â€
She went on to talk about how she sent the Obamas a Christmas card, thanking them for their support of military families, and before Brye knew it, she and her husband were invited to the White House.
“It was an amazing experience (being at the White House). If someone is there for my family and families like mine, then I’ll be there for them. That’s why I’m proud to introduce my fellow mom and our first lady, Michelle Obama.â€
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Purple With A Purpose
I love the color purple (not so much the movie The Color Purple, although I’m a huge fan of Whoopie and Oprah), but I mean the hue as in periwinkle, lavender, magenta, violet, indigo.
Whenever I wear OPI “Purple With a Purpose†on my toes, I feel creative, glam, and fun.
Turns out the color purple is symbolic in both Jewish and non-Jewish cultures. The Israelites, for example, used an indigo-colored dye called tekhelet, which comes from the mucus of an ancient small sea snail murex trunculus. This dye, known as Tyrian purple, was used by royalty and the upper-class in dyeing their clothing, sheets, curtains, and such. Maybe I’m attracted to everything purple because I was a king or queen in a past life, who knows.  Purple is also the color of the purification from sin, and God only knows I carry a lot of guilt.
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Republicans Reach For Mom Vote
Is it just me or does the election so far remind you of the 2012 Academy Awards when all the winners thanked their mothers? Remember, pregnant best actress Oscar-winner Natalie Portman thanked her parents for “giving her life†and best director, Tom Hooper, thanked his mother for pointing him to a story that would become the King’s Speech.
Or maybe it’s the red carpet and flashing cameras and Mitt Romney’s handsome slicked back hair with a touch of grey and a lot of gel that made the Republican National Convention (RNC) feel like I was watching the Oscars all over again. Or maybe it was the overacting, the standing ovations, the glamour of it all, Ann Romney’s fashionably understated bright red belted dress designed by Oscar de la Renta that matched her lipstick and nail polish.
Or maybe it was American Idol winner Taylor Hicks singing my favorite Doobie Brothers song “Takin’ It To The Streets†and the down pouring of red, white and blue balloons that fell from the sky at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa amidst the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac. Continue reading
Laughter Is Best Medicine
I found out about the death of legendary Phyllis Diller when I stepped on a pile of red roses that rested on top of her star on the St Louis Walk of Fame in the Delmar Loop. It was August 20, my birthday.
It’s Tea Time!
“A woman is like a tea bag. You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.â€
I didn’t make that up. Eleanor Roosevelt did. But the analogy is truer than ever. Women are a powerful force in the world today. We are no strangers to adversity, or hot water, either. When given the opportunity, women work together like an infusion of exotic teas to enrich the Jewish community and future generations. Nishmah is blending these two things—tea and purpose—at a stimulating get-together that you won’t want to miss.
Blacklisted Book Celebrates 1st Birthday
I admire authors who have chutzpah, and funny girl Lela Davidson is one of them. The cover of her book Blacklisted from the PTA shows her legs in hot pink stilettos dangling from a shopping cart. If that doesn’t peek your interest enough to read what’s inside I don’t know what does. Continue reading
Mishegas Featured in Erma Bombeck Website
Read about my advice to authors HERE.
