I woke before sunrise this morning with deep thoughts of our community weighing heavily on my mind and heart. Yesterday reminded us how fragile our world can feel, and how resilient we are when we face challenges together. Like so many others, I felt a profound sense of relief knowing that a quick-thinking individual [...]

I wish I could say I learned patience in a quiet place… in stillness, in prayer, in calm reflection. But no. On a long-anticipated Florida vacation with my adorable husband, patience found me in airport terminals while waiting during long travel delays. Patience found me in the air as a restless and overwhelmed toddler [...]

Each year, retirees receive a notice from their IRA custodian: it’s time to take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). Whether the funds are needed or not, the withdrawal is mandatory and taxable. For some, it feels like an obligation. For others, it has become an opportunity. A growing number of supporters of JSL are [...]

“Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you had to be?” That line from Jewish writer Charles Bukowski hits like a whisper and a slap in the face. It reaches past our job titles, roles, and responsibilities to tap into something older, quieter, truer. Before expectations, evaluations and comparison, [...]

I recently asked residents at Fleischman, men and women, many of advanced age, to travel back in time. I also included family, volunteers, and staff. I asked, “When you were a child and had a cold, what do you remember about being cared for?” The invitation to summon childhood memories became a sweet experience [...]

I work in a senior living community where getting older is not seen as failure, but as an achievement. At Jewish Senior Life, aging is not the end of life’s story; it’s the beginning of chapters still filled with learning, love, growth and connection. Our residents do not come here to fade quietly away. [...]

There are moments in my work at Jewish Senior Life when I’m reminded why this community is so extraordinary. The 8 over 80 Getting to Know You Honoree and Student Luncheon at Meer Apartments on Wednesday was one of those moments. As I looked around the room, I saw decades of leadership, volunteerism, creativity, [...]

There are moments in Jewish life when time seems to fold in on itself. When past, present, and future sit together in the same row, hearts full, eyes misting, quietly aware that something sacred is unfolding. They remind us how quickly one moment becomes memory. My granddaughter Lainey’s upcoming bat mitzvah is one of [...]

I recently attended my grandson Brody’s JV basketball game at a nearby high school. I arrived then hurried excitedly into the noisy gym and was delighted to spot my family already gathered on the crowded bleachers. As I began climbing the steep steps to join them, my mind wandered back to my days as [...]

The Wolf Moon took my breath away on a recent Saturday night. It stirred something deep within me, inspiring me to read about the moon and reflect on how my own moods rise and fall with the steady rhythm of that great orb. The moon moved me to pray softly aloud in admiration. Rosh [...]

As 2025 comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on the many emotions this year has brought…. joy, sorrow, worry, and awe at how simple everyday moments can become remarkable when shared with others. There have been bursts of much needed laughter, quiet celebrations, and moments of genuine connection, each one reminding us of how the smallest threads in life can create a [...]

As the secular year draws to a close and we step across the threshold into 2026, I feel a quiet, persistent urge to lighten my load. It may be a response to the constant bombardment of troubling world news, or simply a natural turning inward as time moves forward. For me, lightening my load looks like [...]