Life is a Narrow Bridge

 I have said “God” is a verb— the act of connecting, uplifting, enlightening, sharing, caring, loving, grokking— eternally.  We need to work to “God” one another. It is not easy. But these bonds between and among souls are what bring meaning to our lives; they are what help us transcend the ordinary. From effort comes great reward.  Independence, similarly, can be a verb. It is more than simply freeing someone. It is supporting one another in our journeys. It is helping everyone thrive, and not just survive. It is creating and recreating a land where everyone has what they need to create their own offerings to society, to find their own path to help, to know their days are meaningful and their unique gifts appreciated. Independence doesn’t need to be just a dream. We live in a world of plenty, if only we take care of one another. We have brains with so much untapped potential, if only everyone had access to shelter, food, healthcare and education. We have a history of inn...

 A ticker-tape parade costs about two million dollars.  What can you do with that much money? Let's see... This year, I struggled to help a little girl get glasses. Based on her prescription, she needed them. Based on her academic performance, she needed them. Based on her own statements, she needed them. But her family couldn't muster the $100 bucks for glasses.  There used to be easy ways for low-income families to get free glasses in NJ, but many of those grants were decreased this year. It took about four months for us to get her glasses. (Hurray to NYC which has a free glasses program!) With two million dollars, we could make sure 20,000 children had glasses. Every week, a group of friends and I make sure that some low income families have fresh, healthy food. I appreciate the foodbanks, but sometimes the nutritional value of canned food is all these families get. My friends and I have coordinated with local grocery stores to help these families. The average US house...

  Let’s talk about the past for a moment. 1904– lots of my ancestors came to the US that year. The Dutch merchant ancestors came for business. They had some funds, but not a lot. The Eastern European ancestors also came for a better life— not only in terms of opportunity but also due to religious discrimination. They had so little money that family units split, sending fathers ahead before their children in order to earn passage. What did my relatives need in order to enter the US? 1. They had to pass a medical test. No tuberculosis, STDs, or epilepsy. (I’d have been sent back if they knew about my seizures. I probably wouldn’t have shared that!) 2. They had to prove that they wouldn’t be destitute for lack of a job. 3. They had to produce a letter from a friend or a relative in the US to prove their identity. 4. If they had a criminal conviction demonstrating “moral turpitude” for transgressions such as polygamy, or if they were anarchists, they could be excluded. Look at number ...

  They say the “Fourth Estate” or “Fourth Power” is the news and other media. It is different from the religion, politics and common people, but holds a power all its own. Think about the saying “The pen is mightier than the sword.” If used correctly, the media can stave off armies. "The pen is mighter than the sword"  at the Library of Congress Unfortunately, the heritage media has lately been a more divisive force in American society. It has become an extended arm of political parties and of the powerful elite. Rather than being a communication tool that boosters trust, some media sources have been chiseling away at foundations of our society. It’s interesting how this distrust falls a few decades after the fall of the fairness doctrine, which required equal air time to opposing points of view. It falls a few decades after the prevalence of cable tv (and then satellite and streaming services…) with the splintering of programming options. And it falls even more intensely int...

I 'm the daughter of a professor and a lawyer. From my English teacher Mom, I've learned to be a treasure-seeker: find the good in everything (and make grammar tweaks when needed!). From my attorney father, I've learned to be a problem-solver: anticipate the pitfalls and make sure to avoid them. This is a bit of an understatement. Treasure or problem--it's also a matter of optimism and dread, fierce joy or protective anger. The world needs both, and I was raised in the middle of these passionate polarities. A teacher myself, I've become very familiar with Mom's art. We read Shakespeare together as a family, and she analyzed poems with me as she would do with her students. Because she knew I wouldn't talk in the back of the classroom like my big sister did, she let me come along a few times. (I was traumatized by Blade Runner and much preferred hanging out in the Hofstra Library.) In recent years, I've helped her run technology for Zoom teaching and love ...

  Growing up, I did not know what a quesadilla was. It just wasn't a thing in my Long Island of the 1970s. From Sesame Street, I learned how to find the Salida (exit) and I practiced counting from uno to diez. From my family's travels, I knew how generous and inclusive children in Mexico could be. But I didn't know a quesadilla from a churro, or tamales from enchiladas. And I certainly did not know the Cinco de Mayo. It wasn't a big thing in the Northeast...not yet. In fact, it isn't a big thing in much of Mexico, now, either. It's a local festival in Puebla, not Mexican Independence Day. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory of a small Mexican army against a larger, well-armed French fleet. (In fact, shortly thereafter, Emperor Maximilian I of France took over our southern neighbors for a few years. The May fifth victory did not stick.) Sesame Street used "Salida" and Spanish numbers as part of their mission to serve underserved urban youth. US beer c...