When my family gathered for the Passover Seder in 1998, I didn’t know it would be the last time I’d see my younger brother Gary alive. Fifty-one days later on the second day of the Jewish holiday Shavuot, I received a phone call at four in the morning telling me that he had died suddenly … Read more
Sometimes relationships evolve in unusual and synchronistic ways. Although this Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of my brother Gary’s sudden death, I’ve continued to experience his presence over the years in powerful, unexpected ways during many significant moments. Synchronicity is defined as the simultaneous occurrence of events, which appear significantly related but have no discernable … Read more
[Image: Jacob Buksbaum’s painting of his mother, Sara, who survived Nazi work camps during the Holocaust.) Today, Holocaust Memorial Day, marks the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp 77 years ago. The following story is about my husband Jacob’s parents, who were forced into work camps during the Holocaust. This close connection serves as a reminder … Read more
Did you know that bamboo is actually stronger than steel? This is because of something called tensile strength. Tensility is defined as the resistance to breaking or splitting under tension. In the case of these two materials, bamboo is actually stronger than steel because it has a more tightly packed molecular structure. Bamboo has tensile … Read more
This is one of my favorite stories about my dad’s zany antics that I share in my debut memoir SOARING into Strength: Love Transcends Pain. Throughout the summer, when my father was hospitalized with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Mom and I did our best to decorate the windows of Dad’s hospital room that overlooked the stem cell … Read more
When I was in third grade, I was invited to Nancy Houston’s home to help her family decorate the Christmas tree. This was a big deal because my family was Jewish. Although I had seen a gazillion brightly festooned Christmas trees in New Jersey, the shopping center mall capital of the Northeastern United States, my … Read more
Chanukah always falls during the darkest time of the year when the days are shorter. That’s why it’s so inspiring to light ascending candles for eight nights to bring hope and illumination into our homes and into the world. Sometimes a few simple words can create an enormous gateway for healing and transformation. Often, we … Read more
Recently, I heard someone use the expression, “There’s a rhinoceros in the living room that wrecked EVERYTHING and everyone is pretending it is a coffee table!” This idea illustrates the way we can often be in denial of a big, rhinoceros-sized problem—even if it’s staring right at us. It also reminds me of the curious … Read more
Please enjoy this Thanksgiving story from my debut memoir, SOARING into Strength: Love Transcends Pain. An Uber driver took us to Aunt Margie and Uncle Steve’s home in Saddle River, New Jersey, for Thanksgiving dinner. After transferring my dad from car to wheelchair, we made it up the stone steps thanks to the muscles … Read more
Severe depression, anxiety, and isolation are not favorite conversation topics. The growing global mental health crisis means that we can no longer ignore this trend that is impacting millions of individuals and families around the world. This growing problem is truly a matter of life and death. November 19 is International Survivors of Suicide Loss … Read more