3 Women_Commonality
Yesterday I met with three very inspiring women and although they may not agree let me tell you why I note them as such.
We are living in a world where everyone seems to know your business, making assumptions about who you are, and how successful or not you may be. Technology has taught us to listen in sound bites and look at the outer beauty when choosing someone to be a friend, significant other, business associate, etc. However, as I sat with these three lovely women, no presumptions were made.
My initial contact was a bit uncomfortable as I arrived early, almost one hour before we were to meet. Now I am an early bird when I have a scheduled meeting or event to attend, but sixty minutes was an error on my part when I filled in my calendar. In the scheme of things all worked out for the best, I returned to meet with these three inspiring women at the given time.
The conversation was easy, and as I sat amongst them, I felt at home with these three women whom I hope I can call my new friends. As we shared ideas and conversation, I felt an inner space that has felt empty fill up with joy and anticipation.
If I do nothing more with my life, I hope to engage others to seek out their needs and challenge themselves to fill the missing pieces in their lives. I want to be a hand to guide and learn from others and wake-up on a morning with more RAIN and still feel happy, seeing the sunshine in the eyes of my new friends and acquaintances.
These three women are inspiring to me as I noted they too are challenging themselves as well, a common bond.
DAD’s Day – FATHER’s DAY – POP’s DAY – Call it whatever you want DAY with LOVE
In response to my brother Joel’s Blog, “Dads.”
My dad was my hero
He was not perfect by a long shot, but he was my Pops!
At 5 ft 11 inches he appeared to be a huge figure to me.
He provided me with hugs and kisses, and these were not meant for just special occasions, they were daily devotions of love for family.
My pops always had an answer or tried, and although it may not have been the one I desired, Words by Harmon were spoken or written.
When my dad wasn’t smiling, I assumed it was my fault, and yet today I look back and wonder why I allowed those thoughts to cross my mind. Assuming always resulted in making an ASS out of ME. (Some times that even included a potch on the touchy, OUCH!)
My dad was not wealthy in the sense of dollars, but his compassion for life, learning, and sharing made him as RICH as a king.
He was a dreamer, and he attempted to reach for the stars, failure was not in his vocabulary, every step was part of the master plan.
To this day I can still hear my father davening, saying the morning prayers, and often as a young child, I would watch him from afar with his Tallit (prayer shawl), Kippah (head covering), and Tefillin: Phylacteries.
Often this followed another daily ritual for my Pops, as he called it, the three S’s. At the end of this, he could hear my father bellow, “Good Morning Handsome!” (My father once told me if you can’t say something positive about yourself how can you expect others too.)
Today, Father’s Day 2019 it is the 15th year that my father is not here on this green earth (that we are destroying) to celebrate. I cannot imagine what he must be thinking looking down from the heavens above with the love of his life, my momma, DVasha at his side.
Today I will not be giving my dad cigarettes as we did in the 1950s and 60s, or a pipe or tobacco as he preferred in the 70s and 80s. He no longer needs a necktie or a new iMac, and even in the day, he preferred just having his Chick-A Dees, his children grandchildren, and great grandkids, spend time with him.
I miss watching my dad fall asleep in his comfy living room recliner and waking up just in time to watch golf on TV.
I miss knowing that he was just a phone call away with the wisdom I chose to listen to or not!
I miss spending Father’s Day with him or any other day.
But, I cherish my memories that no one can ever take away, this is the gift he gave me, and today I will remember and send my loving thoughts to the heavens above.
To all the GREAT DADS, my husband Rich included, continue to create the love and kindness both you and your children need to be the BEST versions of themselves.
WE R the LIGHT of The World
In October 2016, as my mother was nearing the end of her life, I made the decision that I needed to connect to my Jewish roots. My mother was the anchor for the many holiday traditions that I grew up with and enjoyed for many years. However, when I married in the early seventies, my husband at the time was a nonpracticing Reformed Jew. If it weren’t for family trips back to my parent’s Seder Table or celebrating Hanukkah with his family, life would have been empty.
In 1979 as I went through a divorce I chose to get not only a civil court document but I went to the Mikvah and received “A get or gett (/ɡɛt/; Hebrew: גט, plural gittin גיטין) is a divorce document in Jewish religious law, which must be presented by a husband to his wife to effectuate their divorce.” You’ve heard the song “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof, and I chose to follow the culture.
In 1980 I also chose to become a Bat Mitzvah. I did this for me, creating my identity and identifying with being a Jew, not for the religious aspect but for the commitment to carry on the traditions and family love that I grew up to love.
Although I fell in love with a Gentile man, the second time around, the love and friendship we possess convinced me that an interfaith relationship could withstand the test of time. It’s funny how your life may change but deep inside my soul the need for keeping the flames burning, never have extinguished themselves.
I have struggled since the early ’80s to find a community of Jewish individuals that openly accepted my family and me. However, through the guidance of my mother and father from heaven’s above, I refused to give up, and I have found myself at Temple Israel. A big shout out to Rabbi Josh Brown who read my heartful note asking for connection as he guided me into the hands of Elaine Newman and Teri Segal. Since that day, I have begun interweaving my family into theirs. Through Elaine and Teri, I have met so many wonderful people. Mensch (mentsch)— Literally “man or woman” an honorable, decent, stand-up person, as in, “I don’t care who you marry, as long as he or she is a mensch.”
Tonight I will attend services and pre-services social to recognize new members to the congregation/my family. I am blessed that I have found yet one more way to live my life to the fullest and share the opportunities that are available for us all to be accepted in peace. I can hear my mom and pops kvelling, feeling the happiness that I am experiencing. Although I can no longer return to my mother and father’s home, I can open the doors of my home and enter the doors of Temple Israel to fulfill a need that has needed nourishment.
We all must find that space to light our fire and share it with others to experience the beauty of the sunrise and sunset.
D-DAY make a POSITIVE Change 4 PEACE
Today 75 years after D-Day, D-Day the day it happened on June 6, 1945. On this day 425,000 Allied and Germans were killed, wounded, or went missing. Only one out of four survived!
The above should be one of our many reminders of why we want to stop warring with each other. Begin with yourself, family, friends, neighbors, and move out to the outer edges of your comfort zone, and extend a hand in understanding that you are no more important than the person you declare as your enemy. Let us rid this word from all languages.
We do not have to be antagonistic towards another; there is no need for harm, injure, or overpowering another. Isn’t time to “Lay down our sword and shield,” down by the riverside? Isn’t it time to study war and declare NO MORE?”
If D-Day does not trigger you to empower yourself to change, we will never truly live in a peaceful world.
In memory of those that sacrificed their lives to stop WARRING and bring us together in discussions, awareness, and acceptance of differences, I say RIP! To the families, friends, and battalion brothers who survived, a special thank you for contributions.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life; it is D-Day, the day to make a positive difference.
Who Said Life IS FAIR?
2 June 2019
So you say life isn’t fair, it’s difficult to find a job, create a successful relationship, and find true happiness. However, if I have learned one thing in life, nothing comes easy that is worthwhile keeping. I too have felt these same pangs believing I was the only one struggling in a career, with family, friends, and most of all, self-acceptance. Acceptance does not mean not trying to improve or look for self-satisfaction, it means finding something about yourself to believe in.
This past week has been a rollercoaster of emotions. It began with not knowing if my husband had/has a job or not. Although the situation is not resolved after the initial shock that he may need to make some changes that will affect us both, we both had to grieve, take a deep breath, and keep taking steps in a forward and lateral direction, backward was not/is not a choice.
Change is not easy, even if it’s a choice we make. Any change can be scary and can make for a lot of discomforts. Before looking in the mirror and making any alterations, we must appreciate what we have on a daily basis — find one thing, and it will multiply to two, three, or more. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” So when a curve ball is thrown, we either catch it or hit it out of the park. Catching it may throw us off balance or even sting a bit, hitting it out of the park, however, empowers us to make a choice to change!
Empowerment is a choice and prepares us for the rollercoaster of life. Preparation allows us to be more aware of our surroundings and the fork in the road that lays up ahead.
Do U LOVE COMPOST? I DO!
When you think of beauty you have a very specific ideal that often comes to mind whether it be of a newborn infant pure and innocent, a bride in white perfection, a flower with petals of velvet glistening from a ray of sunshine or new morning dew, or your leftover scraps that you will recycle and or compost to bring forth a new life cycle!
Terri-Lynn Pellegri has been a photographer for most of her adult life. She shoots photos of things that make her smile and as she brings life into her viewfinder. My friend and sister-in-law is not a PollyAnna but prefers to see the glass flowing over, as love and happiness will never empty the vessel. If needed, she will pour herself into it to keep it beautifully alive. You must view her collection of Love Compost, now seen at Uncommon Grounds, in Saratoga Springs, NY. This collection is just the beginning of her legacy for a global society coming together to save ourselves from destroying Mother Earth. This collection should be traveling from city to city for individuals like you and me to appreciate enough to make some trashy lifestyles we all have.
Most communities have recycling. However, if you don’t recycle or recycle per the rules the separation of those items like plastic, glass, aluminum, and paper will go into the trash piles creating bigger and unusable landfill areas. However, rinsing out containers, and establishing what is truly recyclable or not is our first commitment, and it is not difficult to do. Understanding how to compost is another stance we can take, and even for those of us living in a community, condo, apartment or urban area, it is possible to do ‘some’ composting. If you drink coffee or tea, those ground beans and tea leaves can be added to your plant dirt. I have seen a remarkable surge in the growth of my plants and I dump the grounds in and around my plants; I let it sit for a couple of days, and then I turn the compost over into the soil.
As I observed the photograph display at Uncommon Grounds, I was amazed and excited to see how a banana peel can look so beautiful, or how a cracked eggshell with the right light shining on it can bring happy tears to your eyes when you witness life, not death and not decay. Each photo is an act of love, and the compassion of saving the earth resonates loud and clear. Not only are the pictures a lesson to protect our future, but they are also works of art as presentations in our homes.
I hope to help Love Compost raise the awareness and funds to take this show worldwide. I welcome musicians and other artists to consider creating a new LOVE MOVEMENT as we compost our trash in more ways than one!
B-U, B ME, Empower Yourself to become the Person You are Inside and Out.
Dedicated to cousins who are making changes for them, paving the way for us!
I have thanked Candace Pollock many times over for allowing me, newclevelandradio.net to produce a bi-weekly podcast called, The Intentionality Gurus; https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-intentionality-gurus-candace-2018-19. This podcast has helped me begin to identify who I am and what I want to be. For some, the changes may not be noticeable, and for others, they may be very apparent, but personal coaching has taught me that life is worth living if you are comfortable in your own skin.
Much has changed since I was born in 1950, mostly because of the influences of television, radio, the internet, and social media which at one time was more like tabloid gossip, some true and some not so much. However, as complicated as the social norms, maybe I believe that we should be able to live as individuals while still being part of the community and global society. My individual beliefs may be different from yours; however, that does not make either one of us right or wrong. In fact, it is an advantage to see both sides of every issue and know that there may be more than two opinions.
In December newclevelandradio.net announced that we were going to work towards an Empowerment Series. This series initially was a female influence, although I believe there are many genders sided issues the sooner we work together and bring awareness and acceptance (at the least tolerance) to the forefront, we will not be living in a civilized world.
There is a difference between competition when it comes to a game, only one person or one team can win, then the competition to be right when there is no right or wrong, just a difference in beliefs. In fact, when it comes to winning, I do not believe in the concept that everyone gets a trophy. What I do believe is we should be able to identify our strengths and enjoy the opportunities to participate. As much as I would have enjoyed designing clothes and sewing as my mother once did, I never had the passion, and without the passion, I dreamt about fashion but never pursued it. However, despite putting off my love for writing and broadcasting, I followed my heart despite many telling me I would not succeed.
What is a success?
Newclevelandradio.net would like you to join us as we move forward with our Empowerment Podcasts. If you would like to be featured or even co-host the series, please contact me at [email protected]. This series will touch on all issues from FEMALE RIGHTS to the RIGHTS of MAN. I would like to develop a dialogue on the “ME TOO MOVEMENT,” and look at it from all sides and define what it is doing to society! Aging is another issue, and although some of our shows discuss it, let’s talk about Jobs, Family, and Socializing. Are we all destine to Senior Living and by the way, what is defined old? Who defines age?
Along with Terri Lynn and Love Compost – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybdjOs13tp0, let us make this world a better place.
May Memorial Day be your day to REMEMBER HUMAN KINDNESS!
Today is Memorial Day, and for many, it includes a family outing, picnic, hometown parades, and the act of appreciation. I say act because it takes more than one day a year to appreciate the service(s) of so many who have fought or are willing to fight to defend our freedom. Sadly, I do not think the elected officials (not all but a large majority,) are not willing to stand up and defend freedom. Many who were either drafted into service in the past or have chosen to take that path in more recent years are engaged in the American Democracy. However, we treat most, military personnel with less respect than we seem to give to the Washington Social Circle that is not listening to their constituents. You and are the constituents, the general public that either voted for or against them. Whether we chose them with a Yeah or Nay voted they are still entrusted to listen to our wants and needs, and not pursue their own personal glory.
When a civil servant such as those who serve in the Armed Services including the police, firefighters, EMT’s attempt to step out of line they are condemned and yet our Leader(s) are allowed to walk us down the darkened path.
As I said, many will spend the day frolicking at the beaches, or eating in the park, or using the Bar B-Q to make a tasty meal. However, today is a day that should mean so much more, and we should set an example of compassion, kindness, and respect for each other. We all have a job to do in life, and we need to pursue dreams, not just ours, unselfishly.
Remember, there is a neighbor, family member, and stranger who is not part of the landscape today. There are many who are alone, lonely, and do not have the means for a picnic, Bar B Q, or the basic incidentals in life. Although we may not be able to take care of everyone, we have the obligation to try.
May Memorial Day be your day to REMEMBER HUMAN KINDNESS.
Pro Choice = Having A CHOICE
It’s is almost Memorial Day or Decoration Day as it was once called. As a young child, I could not wait to buy my POPPY at school and wear it proudly. Being an American and saluting the veterans that not only fought for us but were stationed to support and defend us was an enlightening time. Sadly much has changed since the 50s and early 60s beginning with the Vietnam War and now the intense craziness that we call our government leadership. However, it is up to each of us as individuals to make a difference and reach out to our family and neighbors and shorten the differences between wants, needs, and greed!
There may be many things I may want, but what do I truly need, and how can I pursue that without being greedy? If we each take one step in the direction of need versus want and remove the greed, we can renew our democratic philosophy and give peace a chance once again.
Last week, after Alabama passed and announced their new ANTI-ABORTION law, I announced on behalf of newclevelandradio.net, I will begin podcasting a new series on Women’s Rights. When I speak of Women’s Rights, they are the rights for all. No one should have the authority to tell you how to maintain your body! Please note abortion has not been misused or abused. Roe versus Wade was passed to provide birth control, maternity care, child health care, and in the rare case if need an abortion. No child should be brought into this world if they are not wanted. Women are not getting themselves pregnant and then submitting themselves to this procedure without thought and choice!
Statistically up until the 11th or 12th week of conception, the first trimester, “An embryo is called a fetus at a more advanced stage of development and up until birth or hatching. In humans, this is from the eleventh week of gestation.” Therefore even the heartbeat which may be heard does not identify this as a viable life stage.
Pro-choice is just that; it is my, yours, ours, to decide what we are doing to our physical and mental health. No one should have the power to put their needs and beliefs into the decisions I make – when it has no effect on them. Not everyone who gets pregnant by accident, or through violence, submits themselves to this procedure. That is why it is Pro-choice, you decide what is best for you today and into the future.
The Anti-abortion laws are just one segment of change that takes our choices and voices away. Let us discuss the opportunity of becoming empowered without overpowering others!
Please contact newclevelandradio.net at [email protected]
Back Home Planning for 2020!
Back home and still on a roll from this past weekend. If you have never been to upstate New York and driven through the Finger Lakes Region or to the Capital area like Saratoga Springs you are missing some beautiful country. It is true that Rich and I attempted to see the many massive waterfalls in and around Watkins Glen, New York, https://parks.ny.gov/parks/142/ where we had planned to view and photograph one, two or more of the 19 Waterfalls. Sadly, the directions a local provided us were incorrect, and all we saw was a beautiful countryside with numerous Wineries. However, we did see ButterMilk Falls outside of Utica where we stayed and got some nice photos there! All in all, we laughed during our adventure and get away!
Saratoga Springs and Annie’s Washington Inn (Joe) did not disappoint us at all. It is always a lovely stay at this Bed and Breakfast that also hosts weddings and parties and receptions of all types. The setting is not only beautiful, but the Inn is immaculate. Joe is the treasure at the helm!
The musicians and talented individuals of this area are always friendly, welcoming, and exciting to spend time with. This very special area has few if any EGOS flying high. On Sunday, a diverse group of musicians participated, providing their talent to honor Charlie Eble, who had a heart of gold and provided for this region. In his memory, the city of Saratoga Springs, Mayor Meg Kelly, Café Lena, led by Sara Craig and her team (many volunteers), my brother Joel Moss producer and music engineer, joined newclevelandradio.net, to bring musicians together in song and harmony.
A special thanks to all:
Charlie Eble A/V Internship feel free to donate at http://www.caffelena.org/
Alex Hale, Garland Nelson, Vinnie Leddick, Patty Urell, Jonathan Greene, Sergei Nirenburg, Brian Melick, Bob Warren and Mark Griffin, Judy Wyle, Ralph Pascucci, Jeff Halstead, Michael Jerling, Will Severin, Joe Bruchac, Chris Baker. Ria Curley and Chuck Lamb, John Nazarenko, Tim Wechgaelar, and Chris Carey. Marcus Ruggiero, Peter Davis, Steve Candlen, Rick and Sharon Bolton, Jeff Brisbin & Joseph Deuel.
(I HOPE I DID NOT LEAVE ANYONE OUT!)
Now that we are home, it is time to start planning next year’s event for the Charlie Eble A/V Internship Concert Connection. Do not let the grass grow under your feet – spread the word as you continue to bring the language of music to all that hear you perform.
We would like to continue our podcasts with you and begin with sharing your thoughts, your memories, and your passion for all that you do! [email protected]
D5 Creation