Sharing insights and inspiration that happen over a cup of tea

Sharing insights and inspiration that happen over a cup of tea

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Category: Gratitude

  • Hidden saints: Learning from the legend of the lamed vavnicks

    One of the things I love about my home is the small library created for me by my husband, a giftedcarpenter.  Whitewashed shelves and crown molding wrap around three walls, giving me a lovely place to house my oversized collection of books. Over the years, it seems I have developed a habit of writing notes,…

  • A small thank-you can make a big difference!

    During my visit to North Carolina for my granddaughter’s third birthday I had the chance to sit in the upstairs gallery of the gymnastic studio and watch this petite whirlwind and her classmates run, climb, tumble and spin their way to pure enjoyment. At several points during the class, when the instructor had assisted my…

  • Sorrow lifts when we surrender our memories to God

    Recently, during an extended time at home recuperating from a medical procedure, I whiled away a Sunday afternoon watching a marathon of Mario Lanza movies. I grew up with Mario Lanza, the renowned American actor, tenor and opera singer who was known as one of the great romantic performers of his time, because my mother,…

  • Taking a page from Things My Parents Taught Me

    A mother never knows just how much attention her children are paying to her, but every once in a while she discovers they know her better than she thinks they do. That was my discovery when my son, an eighth grade language arts teacher sent me an email explaining that they were writing memoirs in…

  • Remembering the gift of a friend and a crust of bread

    Every year, as Christmas approaches, I find one of my most memorable lessons happens while singing with the parish choir. Each year the lesson is different, but always unforgettable. This year, as I looked across to the soprano section during our annual Christmas concert, I was struck by how much I miss my friend, Joan,…

  • Going where God leads means Calvary, then Resurrection

    For me, April has always been the herald of newness, recalling memories of childhood Easters when there was still a visual litany of delight present in the “Easter parade” at church; where young girls wore crisp white gloves, patent leather shoes and the traditional flowered bonnet, and young boys squirmed under restrictive suit jackets with…

  • There’s no fool like an old fool

    Saturdays were my favorite day as a child. It meant time spent with my mom, or dad, or both, usually shopping for groceries, buying the latest Nancy Drew volume and, eventually, grabbing a bite to eat at the local diner. Looking back, I realize how much of my time with them was filled with lessons,…

  • ‘A perfect dose of grace’ for all seasons

     This small but powerful book of stories is the perfect read for you when you want to reward yourself with some well-deserved quiet time! Rabbi Irwin Kula, author of “Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life” wrote, “If you want to find God, know love, and truly understand these are the same, read this beautiful book. But be prepared…

  • When miracles become ordinary

    As a Catholic, I have a confession to make. I sometimes watch televangelists. While there are many things that make me uncomfortable about this style of evangelizing, I have always felt it would be arrogant, and foolish, of me to suggest that God limits the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to only those of one…

  • Sometimes remembering is as simple as leaving a stone

    My mother-in-law was a feisty woman, who was always up for a rousing debate, especially about her faith. Still, given that she was a cradle Catholic who spent several years in a convent boarding school as a child, her decision to join the Jewish Community Center in her 70s, after her husband died, was a…