tales from a far-land

Today was Halloween at preschool.  All of the kids were encouraged to wear their costume to school and the day will end with a party this evening for all of the preschool families.  Since we didn't want their actual Halloween costumes to get damaged while they played at school today.  Our kids were given the opportunity to choose a secondary Halloween costume.  Madilyn chose to dress up at Doc McStuffins, a character from one of Disney's animated television shows.  She is truly enamored with this series right now and will sing the theme song, "Time for a Check-Up", all around the house.  And Aiden selected Elmo.  I guess all kids love Elmo at age two. Take a look at the photos I was able to capture this morning before they headed out the door to preschool.  Don't they look adorable!  I *love* the picture of Madi doing a "check-up" on Aiden's Elmo doll. 

Kiddushin is the Hebrew term for wedding.  What makes a relationship “sacred”?  In what ways can you enhance the holiness of your relationship? From my perspective, the two people involved in the relationship are responsible for defining what makes their relationship “sacred”.  I believe that every relationship will have a slight variation on the definition of this term.  For me and my husband, “sacred” can be defined as separate and unique.  Our relationship should be different than all other relationships in our life.  We have chosen to hold our relationship above all others at all times.  I am not stating that this definition is easy to uphold, but I know that we have both committed to each other that this is what we strive to do in our marriage on a daily basis.  One of the ways we ensure that our relationship continues to be “sacred” is by taking time to continually work on our relationship.  Relationships take love, respect, trust, communication and honesty.  As a couple,

A child born to Jewish parents enters the covenant with a ceremony of welcome.  What kinds of welcome do you want or need to begin/continue your journey in Judaism? Although I am still relatively “new” in starting my journey in Judaism, I would have to say that I am very lucky to feel like I have already been welcomed into the Jewish family in so many ways.   Every synagogue that I attend, I feel very welcome and accepted.   Every Jewish person that I meet enjoys learning about my journey and often will provide me with words of encouragement and advice.   I know that Judaism embraces learning and this can be exhibited in every Jewish encounter that I have had.   I have felt very “at home” throughout this entire adventure. I would like to acknowledge that this journey would not be as productive without my husband, as he has been very supportive.   When I had a desire to learn more about Judaism, he not only encouraged me to register for the course, but he has continued to be a su

How might you observe Shabbat in a meaningful way? Shabbat is supposed to be a day to be present with ourselves and our family.  As my family begins to incorporate Shabbat more into our weekly routine, I would like create traditions that will make this holiday unique, fun and memorable for us all.  One way that I would like to separate this particular day from all other days of the week is by creating a dining experience for my family that is different from the rest of the week.  It would include decorating the table with festive Shabbat candlesticks, a beautiful tablecloth, and a meal complete with homemade challah.  It would also include each person seated at the table to share something they are thankful for with everyone else.   Another tradition that I would like to incorporate into our weekly celebration would be the idea of “thinning”.  “Thinning” is the concept of letting one thing go that you do not need.  It could be an unread book, an old appliance, clothing, toys, or