Two days ago, I attended the funeral of Rabbi Simon Glustrom, my family’s Rabbi throughout my childhood. He was a welcome presence who presided over important lifecycle events throughout my childhood including my bat-mitzvah, the coming of age ritual ceremony for 13 year old. He also was one of three Rabbis who stood under the … Read more
In celebration of Be Kind to Humankind week, I am delighted to share wisdom from the ages on the subject of kindness—a gentle quality that has powerful reverberations. Lebanese-American writer and poet Kahil Gibran said, “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.” Kindness is a soft verb; one that must … Read more
I am an exclamation point! One day my dear friend Raigan said, “Li, you are an exclamation point!” We both laughed. This kind sentiment and the laughter that ensued was a great gift from my cherished friend—and Raigan’s gift is one that has kept giving! Whenever I need an extra boost of energy, I remind … Read more
When my younger brother died suddenly from an asthma-induced heart attack, I got the call at 4 a.m. in the morning—setting off a trifecta of trauma in my family. Five weeks later, my father had his second bout with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and, 10 months later, my son became catastrophically ill with rheumatic fever. Thankfully, both … Read more